A Chance at Happiness
by truegenius13
Summary: An unexpected and unwanted assignment leads Dr. Spencer Reid to a college campus. While there he makes a new friend who could possibly turn out to be much more than that. Reid/OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds. I'm merely borrowing these characters for my own amusement and hopefully yours.

A/N- Hope you enjoy this story. Please read and review.

A Chance At Happiness

BAU Headquarters, Quantico Virginia

Tuesday, July 22nd

Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid was sitting at his desk in the bullpen area of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, working on his report from the case that the team had just completed, when Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner walked out of his office and descended the stairs.

"Alright guys," Hotchner called out, instantly gaining the attention of the BAU members. "Assemble in the conference room."

Without a word, which was highly unusual for Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan who almost always had something to say, the members of the BAU got to their feet and trooped up to the conference room. The team's senior member, Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon, was already seated at the round table that was in the center of the room as was the BAU's media and local law enforcement liaison Jennifer Jareau, affectionately know to the team members as JJ. Morgan and Reid sat down across from them while the newest member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, Special Agent Emily Prentiss, sat down at the foot of the table.

"Thank you for assembling so quickly," Hotchner said as he entered the room and took his place at the head of the table. "Now I know that we just returned from a case and that you're all tired but I have an assignment for one of you. A psychology professor at Virginia Tech has asked that one of us come and give a guest lecture to her students.

"Guess I'm off the hook," Jareau, the only non-profiler in the room, said as she flashed her winning smile. "May I go Hotch?"

Knowing that she had reports to finish, and that the meeting really didn't concern her, Hotchner nodded his consent. Jareau dipped her head in thanks, got to her feet, and quickly left the room.

Hotchner gazed around the room, his eyes briefly pausing on each profiler, before finally coming to rest on Gideon. The older profiler was, of course, the obvious choice for the job. He had the most knowledge, the most experience and he'd actually taught a class on profiling at Quantico when he'd came back from his medical leave.

Gideon focused his gaze on Hotchner, fully aware of what thoughts were going through the younger profiler's mind. "Don't look at me Hotch. My in box is full of case files that I've been asked to consult on. I have to get caught up before we have another case."

Hotchner heaved a sigh and then gazed around the room once more. Prentiss was the only one who looked eager for the assignment however Hotchner quickly decided that she was too inexperienced and new at the job to give a lecture by herself. His gaze then shifted to Morgan, who appeared completely indifferent, as though he could give the lecture or not and didn't really care which was the case. Finally Hotchner's scrutinizing gaze fell upon the youngest member of the BAU team and he instantly picked up on the fact that Reid was looking everywhere except in his direction.

Hotchner was fully aware that Reid was on roughly the same social level as a junior high student however he also knew that the only way he was ever going to conquer that particular problem was to address it head on. This knowledge served to make Hotchner's decision for him. "Reid, I think you should be the one to give the lecture."

"What?!" The young agent's head whirled around so fast that Hotchner was amazed that the kid didn't give himself whiplash. "B-but Hotch. . . Y-you can't be serious."

Hotchner noticed the slight stutter that Reid developed whenever he was extremely nervous however he'd made his decision and he fully intended to stick with it. "I assure you Reid, I'm quite serious. The lecture is scheduled for Friday afternoon at two o'clock."

The expression on Reid's face told the experienced profiler that the young man wanted to argue however, after a couple of minutes, Reid merely nodded. "Alright," Hotchner said, addressing the entire group once more. "I know you're all tired so as soon as you finish up your reports you may go home."

This statement served to adjourn the meeting and the sounds of chairs being moved could be vaguely heard as the profilers all stood up to leave. As he made his way toward the door Reid felt a firm hand clap him on the shoulder. Glancing back over his shoulder he wasn't even the slightest bit surprised to see Morgan grinning at him.

"Hey man," Morgan said as the two made their way back to their desks down in the bullpen area. "I'm jealous. You get to spend a Friday away from work, surrounded by college girls."

Reid rolled his eyes at the older man, who was well known in the BAU as a ladies man.

Morgan persisted. "Don't tell me you're not at least a little excited about the prospect boy genius."

Reid sat down at his desk and stared up at Morgan with, who's handsome face held a roguish grin. "I have work to do Morgan. I want to go home so I have to finish this report." This said, Reid picked up a pen and resumed work on the report that he'd been working on when Hotchner had called his little meeting. Morgan gave the young man another clap on the shoulder and then walked over to his desk, chuckling softly to himself.

Reid had been nearly finished with the report when he'd been interrupted and he should have been able to complete it in no time once he resumed work however the young profiler was finding it almost impossible to concentrate on the task in front of him. "I can't believe this," he thought to himself as he held his pen just above the paper. "Hotch knows I'm lousy at public speaking and yet he still gave me this stupid assignment." Now it did occur to Reid that Hotchner was doing this for his benefit however that did not serve to decrease his annoyance over the situation.

After the meeting with his team Hotchner returned to his office, to resume his paperwork, and he hadn't been there long when he heard a knock on the door. Glancing up from his own mountain of papers, Hotchner called out, "Come in."

The door swung open to reveal Jason Gideon, who held a stack of manila envelopes in his arms. Hotchner gestured toward the chair that was positioned in front of his desk and, with a nod of thanks, Gideon sat down.

"You're wondering whether giving Reid the lecture assignment was the best decision that I could have made," Hotchner said after studying Gideon's expression for a few minutes. Smiling slightly at the fact that they all tended to inadvertently profile one another Gideon nodded. "The thought did cross my mind but I actually came here to tell you that I agree with your decision one hundred percent."

That statement surprised Hotchner, who's eyes widened a small degree. "You do?"

Gideon nodded. "I know this assignment is going to be difficult for Reid but I'm also fully aware that things cannot change if you do not make a conscious effort to change them. However hard on him this will be in the end I think that the positive effects will far outweigh the negative."

Hotchner nodded his agreement. "That's my hope. Plus I think the college kids will be more awed hearing this information coming from someone around their own age who has actually been there."

"Perhaps," Gideon said. "Well I should probably start work on these case files. I'll see you later Hotch."

Hotchner nodded as the senior agent left his office.

Reid finally managed to finish his report, despite all of the distractions from his wandering thoughts, although it took much longer to complete than it should have. With a sigh the young man picked up the folder and made his way up to the small landing above the bullpen which housed the conference room as well as the offices of Jareau, Gideon and Hotchner.

The young man made his way to Hotchner's office and, finding the door standing slightly ajar, knocked lightly on the door frame. Hotchner glanced up from his paperwork and, seeing who his visitor was, motioned for Reid to enter the office. Reid obliged and stepped inside the office. He walked over to the desk and handed the folder he was carrying to the Agent in Charge.

"I finished the report," Reid told his boss as Hotchner took the folder from him.

"Good work Reid," Hotchner said as he placed the folder down on his desk. "You may go home now."

Reid nodded and turned to leave however he paused after only a few steps and turned back to face his boss. "Hotch I just. . ."

"I'm sorry about the assignment Reid," Hotchner said, anticipating the conversation Reid seemed so desperate to have. "But I think that it'll do you some good. Besides I don't understand why it's such a big deal. You gave a lecture for that physics professor while we were in California."

"I didn't have a choice in the matter," Reid said. "Charlie made a deal with the professor so that Larry would take care of his classes so we could work on the case."

The corners of Hotchner's mouth twitched up into something resembling a smile. "Well look at it this way, Reid. You don't have a choice this time either. Now go home Spencer."

"I'm going," Reid said, once again turning to leave. This time he made it out of the office, although he still wanted desperately to argue further. Shaking his head Reid made his way back to his desk, where he gathered up his things. After quickly stuffing some papers into his messenger bag Reid left the building and headed for home.

When the young man arrived back at his apartment he deposited his messenger bag on the sofa and then set up his laptop. Logging on to the Internet Reid saw that his friend Charlie Eppes was also online. With a small smile Reid quickly signed on to his Instant Messenger.

FBI PROFILER: Hey Charlie!

MATH WHIZ: Spencer! Haven't heard from you in awhile. How are you?

FBI PROFILER: We've been on a case, just got back this morning. And you'll never guess what Hotch is making me do this Friday.

MATH WHIZ: What?

FBI PROFILER: I have to give a lecture at Virginia Tech, to a bunch of psychology students.

MATH WHIZ: So, what's the problem?

FBI PROFILER: What do you mean, what's the problem?! I'm a lousy public speaker and you know it Charlie.

MATH WHIZ: You're overreacting Spencer. You did fine with the lecture that you gave to Larry's students and at least this time you'll be talking about something that you're an expert on. Actually, you're probably an expert on physics too. Come to think of it you're an expert on everything.

FBI PROFILER: GRRR

MATH WHIZ: Settle down Spencer, you'll do fine.

FBI PROFILER: Probably not but I don't have a choice in the matter. I have to do it, there's no reasoning with Hotch on this subject.

MATH WHIZ: It won't be that bad. Now unfortunately I have a class to teach so I'll have to talk to you later, okay Spencer?

FBI PROFILER: Later

MATH WHIZ: Bye Spencer

Reid signed off of his Instant Messenger and, after a couple of minutes of pointless web browsing, he logged off the Internet. Closing his laptop Reid walked over to a large bookcase that was situated along one wall however he couldn't find anything that he particularly wanted to read. With a sigh Reid walked back over to the sofa and sat down. He was exhausted, both from the case they'd just completed and the case of nerves that he'd developed due to his new assignment, and he fell asleep within minutes. Yet despite his exhaustion Reid slept fitfully, tossing on the couch as visions of his high school days assaulted his mind.

The young man was jarred from his disturbed sleep by a sudden impact with the floor. Reid sat upright and gazed around the room in confusion for a couple of minutes, before it dawned on him what must have happened. "Ugh," he groaned as he got up from the floor. "Could this day get any worse?"

Still exhausted, yet fully aware that after the bout of nightmares there was no way he'd be able to go back to sleep, Reid gave a resigned sigh and grabbed his messenger bag from the spot where it had fallen on the floor. He pulled a small book from the bag's depths and flipped it open to a blank page. Reid had began writing down his thoughts and feelings in a journal while he was in high school, at the insistence of the guidance counselor, and although it hadn't really helped much at the time now the young man found it strangely comforting. Picking up a pen he began to write.

_Today's assignment is one of the worst I've ever been given, giving a lecture in front of a group of college students. I think Hotch is doing this to help me overcome my self confidence issues but I'm still not happy about it. And Charlie didn't help matters any. Although it was great to talk to him again his assurances that I'll do fine did nothing to help the situation._

VIRGINIA TECH CAPUS

FRIDAY APRIL 25

The dark sedan pulled up to the college campus and Reid turned and offered Hotch a forced smile. "Thanks for the ride Hotch."

"No problem," Hotchner said as he watched his young subordinate unfasten his seatbelt. "Give me a call later and I'll give you a ride back."

Reid nodded as he opened the car door. Both men were fully aware that the true reason why Hotchner had given Reid a ride to the college campus was so that he could make sure that the younger man actually went however neither brought up that fact. Reid gave his boss a small wave as he stepped out of the car and closed the door behind himself.

The black sedan pulled away and, with a deep breath to calm the butterflies that were in his stomach, Reid slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and went in search of the Psychology Professor, Dr. Trisha Whitman. It didn't take the young profiler long to locate the office he was searching for and when he arrived Reid knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter."

Taking another deep breath Reid opened the door and stepped inside the office, quietly closing the door behind himself. Reid glanced around the room, noting the book-filled shelves that lined the walls, before his gaze came to rest upon a woman who was seated behind a large Mahogany desk. The woman appeared to be in her early to mid fifties and her dark hair was tinged with gray. She stared at Reid over the top of her glasses. "Is there something I can help you with young man?"

"Um. . ." Reid said as he quickly stepped over to the front of the desk. "Um. . . hello Professor Whitman. M-my name is Dr. Spencer Reid. I'm with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI."

The professor's eyes widened as she continued to stare at Reid. "You're a member of the famous BAU?"

Reid nodded. "Y-yes ma'am."

"I thought they'd send someone more experienced," the professor said.

"I've been with the BAU for three years," Reid informed her, accustomed to people underestimating him because of his age. Reid then proceeded to profile the woman who sat in front of him and when he'd finished with his analysis the woman appeared genuinely impressed.

"I beg your pardon Dr. Reid," she said, getting to her feet and offering the young man her hand which Reid took despite being uncomfortable with touch. "It's just that I take my classes very seriously and I was excited that I'd actually managed to line up a guest lecturer from the BAU. Although I must admit you're nothing like I pictured. You look more like one of my students than an FBI agent."

Reid blushed although why her comment bothered him he really couldn't say. It's not like this was the first time he'd heard this kind of statement. Far from it in fact. He and Gideon were often told that they resembled a college kid and his professor.

"Well," Professor Whitman said, realizing that she'd embarrassed the young profiler and seeking to change the subject. "Shall we go to the auditorium and prepare for class Dr. Reid?"

Reid nodded and followed the professor out of her office. Professor Whitman led the way down the hall to her classroom, followed a few steps behind by Reid, and when they arrived the psychology professor gestured for Reid to enter first. The young man obliged and then the professor followed him on to the stage.

"Class starts in fifteen minutes," Professor Whitman informed the young man. "You can use this time to prepare."

Reid nodded his thanks and walked over to the podium that was positioned at the center of the stage. Placing his messenger bag on the floor beside the podium, Reid knelt down and pulled some papers from it. Getting back to his feet Reid placed his notes on the podium and then quickly read through them one last time.

Then, once this task was complete, Reid pulled his cell phone from his belt and switched it off. Then he clipped it back to his belt and waited.

Ten minutes or so passed and then the doors of the auditorium opened and students began to file inside. Reid watched the group as they entered, his gaze shifting from person to person, sizing them up.

"Welcome," Professor Whitman called out as her students assembled in front of the stage. "Please take your seats quickly. We have a guest lecturer with us today." The psychology professor gestured toward Reid who stood behind the podium. "This is Dr. Spencer Reid. He's a Behavioral Analyst with the FBI. Please give him your complete and undivided attention."

With that Professor Whitman walked off the stage and took a seat in the front row, effectively turning the floor over to Reid.

Despite all of Reid's fears the lecture went smoothly, or at least as smoothly as it could have since he was the one giving it. As soon as he was finished Reid twitched a small smile as the students all stood and filed out of the auditorium.

"Good job Dr. Reid," Professor Whitman said, climbing back onto the stage and coming to stand beside Reid. She offered the young man a smile. "I especially liked how you profiled those two boys who were making rude comments during your lecture."

A slight blush appeared on the young man's face. "I can't believe I did that. I embarrassed them in front of their classmates."

Professor Whitman shook her head. "They deserved what they got. Those two are here on football scholarships and they don't seem to think that they need to do well in their classes. And apparently they haven't grown out of their bully phase."

"Hmm," Reid said, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"If you ever want to give another lecture you're more than welcome in my classes Dr. Reid."

"Th-thank you Dr. Whitman."

Professor Whitman held out her hand, which Reid shook, and then turned and left the auditorium. Reid walked back over to the podium and gathered up his notes, which of course hadn't been necessary. He'd only brought them along as a sort of psychological tool, just in case something threw him off. As he packed the papers back into his messenger bag the young profiler heard the sound of someone walking up behind him. Getting quickly to his feet Reid turned and saw a young woman walking across the stage behind him.

"Um. . . I'm sorry," Reid said, slinging the strap of his bag over his shoulder. "I thought I was the only one still here."

"I didn't mean to startle you Dr. Reid," the young woman said quietly, offering Reid a tentative smile. "My name's Lyssa Knight and I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the lecture."

Reid's eyes widened in surprise and he stared at the young woman in confusion for a few minutes before he finally managed to mumble, "Thank you."

"I realize this may sound kind of forward," Lyssa said. "but would you be interested in getting something to eat?"

Reid hesitated, unsure of what he should do.

"I'd love to hear more about profiling," Lyssa said quickly, picking up on Reid's hesitance.

"Um. . . okay," Reid said.

"Great," Lyssa said, smiling at Reid. "Do you like Chinese? I know this great little Chinese place just off campus."

Reid groaned inwardly, his mind flashing to the memory of the evening the BAU members had all gone out for Chinese. His teammates had made fun of him unmercifully that night due to the fact that he absolutely could not get the hang of eating with a pair of chopsticks. All of this flashed through his mind before he replied, "Chinese sounds good."

"Come on," Lyssa said, grabbing Reid by the hand and pulling him toward the door.

Half an hour later Reid found himself seated at a booth with Lyssa in a small Chinese restaurant. Their food had been served and Reid was trying his best to eat with the chopsticks that he'd been given while answering Lyssa's questions about profiling. The young woman seemed to be genuinely fascinated by his career and Reid couldn't help but notice how intelligent she was. Judging by the depth of some of her questions she had to have a fairly high IQ and on top of that she was very attractive. She was around five, six with long chestnut hair and piercing blue eyes.

Despite his nerves Reid was actually having a good time however just as they finished eating (Reid having given up all hope of EVER being able to use chopsticks well enough to get a decent meal) the phone that was clipped to his belt began to ring. Pulling the cell from his belt Reid glanced down at it and saw the single word 'Hotch' on the screen.

Glancing apologetically at Lyssa, Reid said, "I'm sorry but I've gotta take this."

"It's no problem," Lyssa said. "I'll be here when you get back."

Reid nodded and made his way to the exit. Stepping out onto the front side walk the young man flipped the phone open. "Reid."

"Exactly how long is this psychology class?" Hotchner asked by way of greeting.

"The class ended about an hour ago," Reid told his boss. "I decided to get some lunch before coming back."

"I see," Hotchner said, drawing out the words to show the young man that he'd caught the hidden meaning in that statement. "Well finish up Reid. We've got another case and we need you."

"Understood," Reid said.

"I'll meet you in front of the library in about twenty minutes."

"I'll be there sir."

Reid flipped his phone closed and clipped it back to his belt with a sigh. He'd been enjoying his lunch date with Lyssa, despite the slightly awkward feeling that he'd had since they'd met, but now it was time to go back to work. The young profiler walked back inside and made his way over to the table where Lyssa was waiting for him. "That was my boss," he told her as he pulled out his wallet and counted out the money to pay the bill. "We've got another case. I'm supposed to meet him in front of the campus library in twenty minutes."

"I'll bet you're relieved," Lyssa said with a smile. "Now you can escape me and my incessant questions. I know you must be tired of them by now."

"Not at all," Reid said quickly. "I've been enjoying myself."

Lyssa's eyes widened and she offered Reid a wide smile. "Really?"

Reid blushed. "Y-yeah."

"So would you maybe like to do it again sometime?" Lyssa asked.

"Um. . . yeah," Reid stammered, the blush on his face deepening as he gazed down into the young woman's piercing blue eyes. He pulled a small notebook from the front pocket of his messenger bag, flipped it open, and quickly scribbled something on it. He then tore the page from the notebook and handed it to Lyssa. "Here's my email address."

Lyssa nodded as she took the paper from him. Then she tore the page in half, wrote down her own email address, and handed it to Reid.

"I-I'll see you later."

"Good luck with your case," Lyssa called out as Reid turned and left the restaurant.

TBC. . .


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds, I'm merely using these characters for my own amusement.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

TWO HOURS LATER

When they arrived back at the Marine Corp. base where the FBI had its training facilities Hotchner and Reid quickly made their way up to the floor that housed their unit. Once there the two agents walked into the conference room, where the rest of the team was already assembled.

"Ooh," Morgan called out as Reid walked across the room and sat down beside him. "Did you have a good time today boy genius?"

A mental picture of Lyssa flashed unbidden into Reid's mind and he blushed profusely. "Shut up Morgan."

"Oh struck a nerve with that one huh?" Morgan said, instantly picking up on the embarrassed expression that had appeared on the young man's face. He offered the younger agent a knowing grin. "What are you so embarrassed about kid? Come on, spill it."

Reid focused a narrow eyed gaze on Morgan however any comment he wanted to make was put on hold when Hotchner took his place at the head of the table. "Listen up. We've been asked to travel to Arizona to investigate a series of arson cases. JJ."

Jareau stood up from her seat, holding up the remote control that went to the flat screen. Jareau pushed a button on the remote and a series of crime scene photographs flashed across the screen. The were all fairly typical fire scenes until the last, which was of a badly charred but obviously human body. The faces around the table sobered as the gazes of the BAU members focused on the charred remains.

"This victim was found at the last crime scene," Hotchner said as Jareau turned off the television. "It was a convenience store and the victim was ID'd as the store owner. The local authorities have linked ten fires, and when this last case came up with a body inside, they decided they needed outside help. Wheels are up in thirty minutes."

That statement effectively served to end the meeting and the members of the BAU all got to their feet and made their way toward the door. Each member of the team was required to keep a ready bag in the office at all times, for the spur of the moment cases, and they all rushed to gather up their things so they could head to the airstrip.

As they made their way back to the bullpen area Morgan came up behind Reid and clapped him on the back. "So how was your day?"

Reid shook his head, exasperated by his teammate's persistence. "The lecture went fine."

"That's not what I wanna know," Morgan said, fixing his young partner with an evil grin. "And you know it."

Reid fixed Morgan with a fairly convincing look of confusion and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about Morgan."

Morgan stared at Reid for a few moments, in a speculative manner, and then shook his head. "If you say so boy genius." With that Morgan walked past Reid and made his way over to his desk to grab his ready bag.

Reid sighed as he sat down at his own desk. The young agent took a few minutes to collect his thoughts, with the help of his iPOD, and then he gathered up his things so that he could head to the airstrip with the rest of his team.

"Let's go," Hotchner called out as he strode through the bullpen. The other members of the BAU quickly fell into step behind their leader and together the group left headquarters and made their way to the airstrip, where they would board their private Learjet and travel to Arizona.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

FRIDAY MAY 2

"Good work everyone," Hotchner called out as his agents left the bullpen area. "Enjoy your weekend off and I'll see you all on Monday."

"Free time," Morgan called out as he made his way toward the door. "Reid, please tell me that you're going to go out and have some fun this weekend. You look like you could use it."

Reid gazed up at Morgan from his spot behind his desk. Most of the time he appreciated Morgan's big brother routine however now was not one of those times. "What I could use is some sleep Morgan. I think I'm going to go home and go to bed."

Morgan nodded. "Just make sure you do something fun before you have to come back here okay kid?"

"I'll try," Reid said noncommittally.

Morgan nodded once more and then turned and made his way toward the elevator.

"Go home Spencer," a voice called out from across the bullpen area.

Reid swiveled around in his chair and watched as Gideon walked across the bullpen toward him. The senior agent was gazing at him in a fatherly manner. "I'm going," Reid said, quickly getting to his feet and picking up his messenger bag.

Gideon nodded and watched as Reid slung the strap of his messenger bag across his shoulder. The young man twitched a smile at his boss and then quickly left the office.

"Don't you think you should take your own advice Jason?" a voice called out from behind Gideon.

'You're one to talk," Gideon said with a smile, not bothering to turn around. "Aren't you anxious to get home to Haley and Jack?"

Hotchner nodded as he came to stand beside Gideon. "Of course I am. Unfortunately I have to finish up the report before I can leave."

Gideon chuckled. "You didn't make the others finish their reports so there's really no point in finishing up yours. They all have to be turned in together."

Hotchner chuckled softly to himself, realizing that the older profiler had a very valid point. "I guess the report can wait a little while. I think I'll head for home."

"Leave the report Hotch," Gideon said as the younger agent turned to walk away.

When Reid arrived at his apartment he placed his messenger bag on the floor beside the sofa and then walked back to his bedroom. Reid quickly changed clothes and then climbed into bed. The young profiler closed his eyes and attempted to go to sleep however, despite his exhaustion, sleep proved elusive.

"Ugh," Reid groaned after about half an hour of attempting to fall asleep. Giving it up as a lost cause the young man tossed the covers to the side and got out of bed. Still exhausted, and now slightly irritated, Reid made his way down the hall to the kitchen where he began making coffee.

Once the coffee was done Reid poured himself half a cup, filled the rest of the mug with sugar, and then walked into the living room. Placing his cup down on the coffee table Reid set up his laptop and logged on to the Internet. Once he was logged on Reid saw that he had a couple of new emails; one of which was from Charlie, the other from. . . Lyssa.

Deciding to put the one from Charlie on the back burner for the time being Reid opened the one from Lyssa.

_**Hey Spencer. I know you're busy with a case but I just wanted to let you know that I had a really good time the other day and would love to go out again sometime. Write me when you have time and let me know what you think about the idea. Good luck with your case. Lyssa.**_

Despite the young man's eidetic memory Reid found himself reading the email for a second and then a third time. The third reading was interrupted however by a dinging noise.

MATH WHIZ: Spencer!

FBI PROFILER: Hey Charlie.

MATH WHIZ: Do you ever check your email?

Reid briefly thought about the message that he'd been reading when his friend had chosen to IM him however he opted not to share that little piece of information with Charlie.

FBI PROFILER: I'm sorry Charlie. We've been in Arizona working a serial arson case that turned into a serial murder case.

MATH WHIZ: Tough one huh?

FBI PROFILER: Very. But on the bright side Hotch gave us the weekend off to recover.

MATH WHIZ: Really? Any big plan?

FBI PROFILER: Not yet.

MATH WHIZ: Working on it huh Spencer?

FBI PROFILER: . . .

MATH WHIZ: I got you. Consider the topic dropped.

FBI PROFILER: Thanks Charlie. So what have you been up to?

MATH WHIZ: The usual. Teaching class and helping Don with his cases at the FBI.

FBI PROFILER: Charlie have you ever thought about joining the FBI? You work there almost as much as Don.

MATH WHIZ: Are you kidding Spencer? I make more money consulting for the FBI than I would if I were on the pay roll. Not to mention the fact that I also consult for the NSA, the CIA. . ."

FBI PROFILER: I get it, you're really busy.

MATH WHIZ: Something like that. So tell me Spencer, how did that lecture you gave at Virginia Tech go? I haven't heard from you since you went off about Agent Hotchner forcing you to do it.

FBI PROFILER: It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it still wasn't great.

MATH WHIZ: I take it you wouldn't want to make a career out of giving lectures.

FBI PROFILER: You would be correct

MATH WHIZ: Hey my phone's ringing and it's Don so that probably means he has a case that he needs my help with. I'll talk to you later Spencer.

FBI PROFILER: Have fun.

MATH WHIZ: Ha ha

Reid logged off his Instant Messenger and then went back to the email he'd been reading when Charlie had initiated contact. After reading through the email one last time the young genius drafted a response.

_**Lyssa. We just returned home from our case and as to your question I would like to take you up on your offer. I have the weekend off from work so we could maybe get together tomorrow night. Write me back with your response. Spencer Reid.**_

Once he'd written the email Reid scanned through it a couple of times and his finger twitched above the delete button for a few minutes. He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to go through with this course of action however, after a few minutes, his finger moved to send and he clicked the button.

"Ugh," Reid groaned, nervously running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe I just did that."

Leaning back on the sofa Reid slumped over and once again attempted to fall asleep. This time he was more successful and managed to fall into a dreamless sleep. Reid slept better than he had in weeks and when he opened his eyes he was horrified to find that it was seven o'clock at night. Sitting up on the sofa and running a hand through his hair the young man muttered, "I can't believe I slept that long."

Throwing a glance toward his laptop, which was still sitting on the coffee table and logged on to the Internet, Reid saw that he had a new message. Leaning forward he clicked on the icon and saw that the email was from Lyssa. He quickly opened it.

_**Spencer. I'm glad you're back in town and I would love to get together with you tomorrow night. There's an Italian place in D.C. that I like if you'd care to meet me there, say around eight o'clock. Write back and tell me what you think. Lyssa**_

Reid's heart actually skipped a beat as he read the message from Lyssa. He'd really enjoyed the time they'd spent together after his lecture at Virginia Tech and he was glad that his constant quoting of statistics hadn't scared her off. It quickly drafted a reply to her email.

_**Lyssa. Italian sounds really good. Please send me the address and I'll meet you there. Spencer**_

This time Reid barely hesitated before he pushed the send button. Leaving back on the sofa the young man placed his arms behind his head and stared out at the wall across the room from where he was sitting. "I really hope this works out."

Reid had never been comfortable around people that he didn't know very well, (hell he wasn't really that comfortable around the people that he did know) however for some reason he couldn't put his finger on Lyssa seemed different from the other people that he'd known throughout his life. She didn't look at him like he was strange every time he offered some out there statistic during a conversation. She merely smiled at him, not a patronizing smile but a friendly one.

Reid sighed. "It's destined for failure, I just know it."

REID'S APARTMENT

SATURDAY JULY 1

Saturday passed by extremely slow for one Dr. Spencer Reid, even though deep down he knew that it was impossible for the passage of time to either speed up or slow down. He was a bundle of nerves and he found himself unable to occupy his mind with any of his usual activities. Even listening to his iPOD failed to calm him down.

He took a quick shower around five o'clock and then dressed in black slacks and a white button down shirt with a blue pullover sweater vest. He decided to forgo the tie, since he hated the things and only wore them to work because he had to, and after running a comb through his wet hair he made his way into the living room.

Reid had left his computer on from when he'd been trying to occupy his mind by browsing the Internet and when he gazed down at the screen he saw that he had a couple of instant messages. They were, of course, from Charlie.

MATH WHIZ: Hey Spencer. What are you up to?

MATH WHIZ: Are you ignoring me? Did I do something to make you mad? Are you even there?

Reid twitched a smile as he sat down on the sofa and pulled the computer toward him. Charlie could always be counted upon for a laugh and that was exactly what he needed at the present moment.

FBI PROFILER: Yes I'm here Charlie. Can't a guy even take a shower without you sending out a search party?

MATH WHIZ: Whoa, calm down Spencer. Wait, what are you doing taking a shower this time of day? Do you have plans for the evening Spencer?

Reid could image the look on his friend's face and he briefly debated whether or not he should be truthful in his response. After a few minutes of contemplation he decided on the truth. After all Charlie had dated more than he had (not really that big of an accomplishment) and might be able to offer some useful advice.

FBI PROFILER: I'm meeting this girl I met at Virginia Tech for dinner tonight.

MATH WHIZ: Way to go Spencer! See, I told you that lecture wouldn't be so bad. Look what you got out of it. So is she pretty?

FBI PROFILER: Very but that's not why I like her Charlie. I like her because she treats me like a normal guy. She doesn't look at me like I'm a freak.

MATH WHIZ: I can definitely identify with that my friend. I get those looks all of the time which is part of the reason why I love Amita so much. She's just as much a freak as I am. So tell me, is this the first time that you and this girl are going out?

FBI PROFILER: No. Lyssa and I had lunch together the same day that I gave the lecture at Virginia Tech.

MATH WHIZ: Can I offer you a little piece of advice?

FBI PROFILER: Go for it.

MATH WHIZ: Make sure that you don't spend the entire date talking about work.

FBI PROFILER: DON'T call it a date.

MATH WHIZ: I didn't mean anything by it Spencer, I promise.

FBI PROFILER: No, don't be. I'm just not accustomed to this. I'm going to make a fool out of myself, I just know it.

MATH WHIZ: No you're not. Just be yourself and things will go fine.

FBI PROFILER: Thanks Charlie. That doesn't really make me feel any better but I appreciate the fact that you tried.

MATH WHIZ: It's going to be fine. Good luck Spencer. If you need to talk later feel free to call me.

FBI PROFILER: Okay. I'm going to sign off now and finish getting ready.

MATH WHIZ: Alright. Have fun.

Reid logged off the Internet and then turned off his laptop, closing it and placing it back in his messenger bag. Despite what he'd told his friend, Charlie's little pep talk had actually made him feel a small degree better. The nervous butterflies were still in his stomach but the feeling wasn't quite as intense as it had been before.

"Maybe things will turn out all right after all."

WASHINGTON D.C.

SATURDAY JULY 1

Reid arrived at the little Italian restaurant that Lyssa had suggested about fifteen minutes before he was supposed to meet her but as he approached the front entrance he was horrified to see that she was already there waiting for him. Lyssa stood up to greet the young man as he jogged the last few feet toward her.

"I-I'm not late am I?" Reid asked, gazing down into her blue eyes. "We did agree on eight o'clock right?"

"Calm down Spencer," Lyssa said, offering him a warm smile. "You're not late, you're actually early. It's just that I was earlier." Lyssa offered Reid her arm and gestured toward the front entrance of the restaurant. "Shall we?"

Reid nodded as he entwined his arm with hers. They walked the few steps to the door, which Reid held open for her, allowing her to enter first. Then, once Lyssa had entered, Reid quickly followed and the young couple were soon seated at a small table.

"I'm really glad that we could get together again Spencer," Lyssa said in a quiet voice as they scanned through their menus. "I had fun the last time."

"So did I," Reid said, glad that the restaurant's dim lighting would hide the blush that he could feel warming his face.

"So your boss gave you guys the weekend off huh?" Lyssa said conversationally.

Reid nodded. "Hotch seemed to think that we needed a break. And I have to admit we have had some tough cases lately. The serial arson turned serial murder case that we just finished with and before that there was the Coed Killer out in California."

Lyssa arched a brow. "Coed killer?"

Reid nodded once again. "My team was sent out to California to give lectures at the LA field office as well as several local law enforcement agencies and while we were there we became involved in a murder investigation. Four young women, very similar in looks, had been stabbed to death and then dumped on the side of the highway. We worked together with the local FBI agents to solve the case, which we eventually did, but not before a fifth victim was claimed."

"That's awful," Lyssa said.

"I agree," Reid said. "The last victim was the student of a friend of mine, Charlie Eppes, and it was actually her death that helped us find the link between all of the victims."

"So what was the link?" Lyssa wanted to know.

"All of the victims had brown hair and brown eyes," Reid explained. "However the connection between them was much deeper than that. All five had full, academic scholarships to the colleges they were attending. These young women were all exceptionally bright however they were also all painfully shy. They had trouble fitting in and making friends and they all sought the help of a therapist to overcome this problem."

"The therapist was the killer wasn't he?" Lyssa said, a horrified expression on her face.

"She, actually," Reid corrected. "But you're essentially correct. Amanda McRay was a clinical psychologist who offered in home counseling services to college students. And when she came across one who fit the criteria, she killed them."

"Why?"

"Jealousy," Reid said. "Her first victim was her sister Katelyn, although we didn't connect her to that murder until we actually went to question McRay. Her sister had been given a full, academic scholarship to Cal Tech and McRay was jealous. One day, in a fit of rage, she stabbed her sister to death, although she wasn't initially charged with the crime. Seventeen years later she began killing young women who reminded her of her sister, in a sense killing Katelyn over and over again."

"That is twisted," Lyssa said, shaking her head. "I hope I never need therapy. Although I'm a psychology major so. . ."

"Understanding the diseases of the mind doesn't make you immune to them," Reid said quietly, briefly thinking about his schizophrenic mother and his secret fear that he would end up like her.

"That's true," Lyssa said.

Reid noticed that the conversation had turned somewhat dark and he sought a change of topic. "So Lyssa, do you have any pets?"

Lyssa smiled. "I have an American Eskimo named Shiro-chan. Shiro means. . ."

"White in Japanese," Reid finished for her.

"Wow," Lyssa said, her eyes wide. "I didn't expect you to know that although why I didn't expect you to know that is beyond me. You know everything."

"Not even close," Reid said. "I learn something new every day."

"Hmm," Lyssa said. "You'll have to come over to my place sometime and meet my little Shiro-chan."

Reid gave a nervous little laugh. "Dogs don't exactly like me."

"Shiro-chan loves everyone," Lyssa said. "Which makes him a lousy guard dog but other than that it's great."

Reid looked puzzled by this statement. "Aren't American Eskimo dogs small? Wouldn't his size make him an inadequate guard dog even if he were anti-social?"

Lyssa laughed and shook her head. "Smaller dogs are more ferocious than the larger ones. My aunt had a Chihuahua that would attempted to attack everyone that came near her. I mean it, that little thing was absolutely psycho."

"There's no proof that canines suffer from mental illness," Reid stated.

"I didn't mean it literally," Lyssa said. "It was just a figure of speech Spencer."

"Oh," Reid said, blushing slightly. "Um. . . I'm sorry. I. . . I didn't. . ."

Lyssa smiled and reached across the table to place her hand on top of his. "It's okay Spencer."

Reid glanced down at the small, feminine hand that was covering his own, then gazed back up into Lyssa's piercing blue eyes and offered her a small smile.

TBC. . .


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds.

REID'S APARTMENT

SUNDAY JULY 2

MATH WHIZ: So Spencer, how was your date last night? Good, bad, or indifferent?

FBI PROFILER: It went better than I expected but now she wants me to come to her house and meet her dog.

MATH WHIZ: And this is a problem why?

FBI PROFILER: Dogs hate me. Don't ask me why, I don't know, but they do.

MATH WHIZ: Tough luck. If you can't win over the dog then this relationship is doomed. Maybe you should buy a book on dog behavior or something.

FBI PROFILER: . . . Charlie, are you actually suggesting that I attempt to profile the dog?

MATH WHIZ: Why not? It couldn't hurt.

FBI PROFILER: It's no wonder people think I'm weird.

MATH WHIZ: Oh you're one to talk.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

MONDAY JULY 3

Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner was the first member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit to arrive at Quantico after their weekend off, which was typical for the team leader, and when he arrived he made his way up to his office. Sitting down behind his desk Hotchner pulled a folder from his top desk drawer, placed it down in front of him and flipped it open. The Agent in Charge picked up his pen and began to fill out his portion of the report from the team's most recent case however he hadn't made very much progress when he was interrupted by a knock on his door. Glancing up from his paperwork Hotchner called out, "Enter."

The door opened slowly and Jason Gideon stepped inside the office, also holding a manila folder embossed with the seal of the FBI.

"Good morning Jason," Hotchner said to his colleague at the same time gesturing toward the chair that was positioned across from his desk.

Gideon nodded to the youngest agent as he accepted the invitation to sit. "Did you enjoy your weekend off Hotch?"

A small smile appeared on Hotchner's usually somber countenance. "I did. How about you?"

Gideon nodded once again. "I spent the weekend alone at the cabin. It was very relaxing."

It was Hotchner's turn to nod. He knew that Gideon went to his secluded cabin in the woods whenever the team had time off from their busy case loads.

"So do we have any new cases?"

Hotchner shook his head. "JJ said the place was pretty quiet while we were gone. No new requests for assistance have came in."

"Sounds like you should have given us some more time off Hotch."

Both Hotchner and Gideon shifted their attention to the open door and neither was in any way surprised to see Derek Morgan grinning at them from just outside the office.

"Morgan," Hotchner said, fixing his subordinate with one of his famous stares, one eyebrow slightly raised. "Don't you have a report that you're supposed to be finishing?"

"I do," Morgan admitted, completely unphased by the look that Hotchner was giving him. "And I was on my way over to my desk to do just that but something I saw down in the bullpen freaked me out and I thought I'd come share it with the boss." His gaze shifted from Hotchner over to Gideon at this point. "Err. . . bosses."

"What is it Morgan?" Hotchner asked, getting to his feet and walking toward the door.

Morgan gestured over his shoulder to the only occupied desk down in the bullpen area. "Boy genius down there."

Hotchner glanced down at the young profiler, who was seated at his desk working on something, presumably his portion of the report that Morgan should be working on. He turned back to Morgan. "What exactly is disturbing about this sight?"

Morgan opened his mouth however it was Gideon who answered Hotchner's question. He had risen from his chair and joined Hotchner and Morgan by the door at this point and he said quietly, "It's that soft smile that he's wearing isn't it Morgan?"

Morgan nodded once, in agreement. "It's creepy. It actually looks like the kid actually had fun during our time off. I tried asking him what it was but he wouldn't say anything."

"I don't blame him," Hotchner said. "I wouldn't tell you either."

"That was cold Hotch," Morgan said, his hand going to his chest as though he'd just been mortally wounded. "Here I am, trying to show concern for a colleague and you say something like that."

"Reid will be fine," Gideon told his colleague in a quiet voice. "If he wants us to know what's going on then he'll tell us. Until then, just leave him alone."

The expression on Morgan's face told the older profiler plain as words that leaving the kid alone was the last thing in the world that he wanted to do however after a few moments the younger agent nodded.

"Go finish your report," Hotchner said. "I want them all turned in before lunch."

Morgan held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm going."

* * *

Gideon was sitting in his office, working on some consulting jobs that he'd been sent, when he heard a knock on the door. Glancing toward the door he called out, "Come in."

The door swung open and Reid tentatively stepped inside the office. "Can I talk to you about something Gideon?"

"Of course," Gideon said, closing the folder containing the case file that he'd been reading through. He gestured toward the chair that was positioned across from his desk. "Have a seat."

Reid sat down across from the older profiler and folded his hands together in his lap. The young man sat quietly for a few minutes, debating what he should do, and then his gaze shifted up to Gideon, who'd been patiently waiting for the young man to make a decision. "What are the odds of having a relationship while doing this job?"

The first thought that went through Gideon's mind was how unusual it was for Reid to ask about the odds on anything since the kid was a walking book on statistics. The second thought was that Reid, shy and slightly anti-social Reid, had just asked him about a relationship. "So that's why you were looking so happy when you came to work this morning. You've met someone."

Reid blushed slightly but managed to nod his head. "There's this girl that I met at Virginia Tech when I went to give that lecture on profiling. Her name's Lyssa."

Gideon smiled at the young man. "You like this girl?"

Reid nodded once again. "She treats me like a normal person, not some freak who can only spout out facts."

"That's good Spencer," Gideon said.

"Maybe," Reid said. "Maybe not. I'm really worried about how this is going to work out Gideon. Hotch is the only one around here who's married and Morgan's with a different woman every night. I'm afraid there's something about this job that makes having a meaningful relationship impossible."

"Don't worry Reid," Gideon said. "You can do this job and still form bonds. It just takes a little more effort. You'll do fine Spencer."

Reid twitched a smile and got to his feet. "Thanks Gideon."

Gideon nodded as the younger agent turned and left the office, closing the door quietly behind himself. Once Reid had left his office, Gideon resumed work on the case that was lying on the desk in front of him however he was finding it more difficult than before. His thoughts kept wandering back to his young colleague and the fact that the kid had actually found someone outside of work that he could talk to.

Gideon was aware that Reid still spoke to Charlie Eppes, both on the phone ad on the computer, however Reid had had some help forming that particular bond. Gideon and Charlie's brother Agent Don Eppes had forced the two young geniuses to work together on the coed killer case and during the investigation the two of them had became friends. With this girl however Reid hadn't had any outside help, unless you wanted to count the fact that Hotchner had forced the young man to take the lecture assignment.

Gideon sighed. "I hope things work out for you Spencer. I really do."

* * *

After leaving Gideon's office Reid made his way back to his desk in the bullpen area. Morgan glanced up from his report as the young man walked past. "So are you ready to tell me what happened this weekend kid?"

Reid focused his gaze on his colleague. "I don't know what you're talking about Morgan. Shouldn't you be less concerned with me and more concerned with finishing your report so that Hotch doesn't flip out when you're forced to tell him that you're not finished?"

"I wish people would quit saying that," Morgan said, picking up his pen. "I'm going to get it done on time."

This said Morgan went back to work. Reid twitched a smile, having effectively diverted Morgan's attention away from him and back to his work. The young man sat down at his desk however since he'd already finished his report there wasn't really anything for him to do. This was a rare occurrence at the BAU and Reid knew that he should enjoy the free time however what he really needed was something to keep his mind occupied.

As he sat at his desk, doing nothing, Reid's thoughts flashed back to the evening that he'd spent with Lyssa. He thought about the fact that the vast majority of their conversation had been focused on profiling. "I'll have to remember to ask her about that the next time I speak to her."

Reid was jarred from his thoughts when Hotchner emerged from his office and descended the small flight of stairs into the bullpen area. "Alright everyone assemble in the conference room. And make sure you bring your reports with you." This said the Agent in Charge turned and left the bullpen area.

Reid and Prentiss got to their feet as Morgan hurriedly signed his name to the bottom of his report and closed the folder.

"See, you should have listened to me," Reid said as the three of them made their way to the conference room.

"Hey," Morgan said, pointing his right index finger at his young colleague. "I don't need to hear any 'I told you sos" from you kid."

Reid actually smirked as they sat down in their usual places, dropping the folders containing their reports on the table in front of them.

"I'm warning you boy genius," Morgan said, fixing the young agent with a narrow eyed gaze.

Prentiss turned to face Gideon, who was sitting at the foot of the table. "Do you ever feel like a high school principal Gideon?"

Gideon smiled as his gaze shifted from the two younger agents over to Hotchner, who'd just entered the conference room. "I used to but now that responsibility rests solely with Hotch."

Prentiss nodded as Hotchner closed the door behind him, effectively ending all conversation in the room. "Alright," he said, his gaze shifting to each team member in turn. "Has everyone finished their reports?"

There were nods around the room as each agent offered Hotchner a folder embossed with the seal of the FBI. Hotchner collected each folder and then addressed the group. "Good work everyone. Break for lunch and then we'll discuss work assignments."

BAU HEADQUARTERS

TUESDAY JULY 4

"I can't believe we have to be here today of all days," the BAU's digital intelligence officer, Penelope Garcia, grumbled as she and Reid emerged from the elevator. "You'd think since it's a national holiday we'd get the day off. Think I'll go and complain to Hotchner about it later."

"Be sure to warn me before you do that," Reid said quietly, taking a sip of the coffee that he'd picked up before work. "So I can run."

Garcia chuckled as the two of them walked toward the bullpen. "You seem to be in an unusually good mood today sweetie."

"Everyone keeps saying that," Reid said. "Am I really that hard to get along with normally?"

Garcia shook her head. "Everyone has their moments, even me although I'm sure you'll find that almost impossible to believe."

"Hey angel," a voice called out from across the bullpen. "See if YOU can find out what's up with him. He's been acting strange since yesterday and I know he's hiding something."

Garcia winked at Reid before she replied, "Too bad sweet cheeks, he made me promise not to tell anyone. And that includes you."

"WHAT?!" Morgan exclaimed. "He told you and not me. Now that is just wrong Reid. Seriously wrong."

"Conference room everyone. We've got a new case." Without pausing Hotchner made his way up to the small landing that housed the conference room, followed a short distance behind by his troops. Jareau was the last to enter the room and, once she'd closed the door behind herself she began handing out folders to the rest of the team. "In the past week the Atlanta PD has found four undetonated pipe bombs hidden in various parts of the city. Now local officials didn't think anything of the situation and blame was placed on local youths. This changed however when a bomb was detonated at a shopping center located near a police station. No one was killed, although several were injured, and a letter stating that there would be more attacks was found at the scene."

"Were there any demands made in the note that was found at the scene of the bombing?" Reid asked, his gaze focused on Hotchner.

Hotchner shook his head. "No. The note didn't contain anything other that the threat of more bombings to come."

"That's unusual," Morgan said, flipping through the case file that he held in front of him. "Bombings almost always have some hidden motive, either someone using the threat of an attack to acquire something or else terrorists who just want to scare as many people as possible."

"This is true," Hotchner said. "And we haven't completely ruled out either. The UnSub may just be waiting to make demands. Wheel's are up in an hour."

The agents of the BAU all nodded as they got to their feet and left the conference room. As soon as he was back at his desk Reid pulled out his ready bag and placed it on the floor at his feet. Then he set up his laptop and quickly drafted an email.

_**Lyssa. We caught another case so I don't know when I'll have the time to talk to you again. I'll email you as soon as we get back. Spencer.**_

Glancing around to make sure that no one was paying attention to him (no one was) Reid hit the send button and then quickly shut down his laptop. Reid twitched a small smile as he realized that he hadn't even hesitated before sending this email. Apparently the fear that one of his colleagues would find out about Lyssa superseded his fear of rejection.

"Look at you," Morgan called out from his desk. "Now you're back to your usual glum looking self. What happened in the past ten minutes that's got you so down?"

Reid shrugged off Morgan's question however an answer from him wasn't required. Jareau was walking by and happened to hear the question. She gave Reid an appraising look and then turned to Morgan. "You've been a profiler how long Derek? Can't you tell, Spence has a girlfriend."

"WHO TOLD YOU THAT?!" Reid demanded at the same time that Morgan exclaimed, "WHAT?!"

Jareau smiled as she placed a hand on Reid's shoulder. "Calm down Spence, it's nothing to get up tight about."

Reid shook his head as his gaze shifted to Morgan, who was beginning to recover from the shock. The older profiler got to his feet and walked over to the spot where Reid was sitting, a wide grin spread across his handsome face. "My man," he said, clapping his hand down on Reid's shoulder. "So tell me, is she hot?"

Reid blushed. "I don't really want to have this conversation Morgan."

"Now that could be read one of two ways," Morgan said, pulling a chair from a nearby desk over beside Reid. He sat down and gazed into the young man's eyes. "She's either really pretty and you don't want other people to know for fear that she might leave you for them."

Reid opened his mouth to protest this logic however Morgan held up his index finger, effectively silencing the young agent.

"Or," Morgan continued. "She could be a little on the homely side and you're embarrassed to be seen with her. So which is it?"

Sensing trouble and not wanting any part of it, Jareau removed her hand from Reid's shoulder and continued on her way to her office. _"Should have kept my mouth shut," _she thought to herself as she retreated.

Reid stared at Morgan however the older profiler was saved from his colleague's wrath by the appearance of Hotchner. "Morgan," the Agent in Charge said as he came to a stop beside the two agents. "I want you to work on studying the crime scene during our flight. See if you can find any links between it and the bombs that weren't detonated."

"Right," Morgan said with a nod.

"Reid," Hotchner said, addressing his other subordinate. "Work victimology for the store owner."

Reid nodded.

"Let's wrap this one up quickly," Hotchner said. "Before anyone else gets hurt."

With that Hotchner turned and walked away, once again leaving Morgan and Reid alone. As soon as their boss was out of ear shot Morgan leaned forward, his gaze focused on Reid's face. "I can't believe you told Garcia and you didn't tell me."

"I didn't tell Garcia anything," Reid said. "She told you that just to see your reaction and you played right into her game."

HOLIDAY INN, ATLANTA GEORGIA

WEDNESDAY JULY 5

It was just after midnight when Hotchner finally allowed the team to return to the motel where they would be spending their brief free time while in Georgia. Despite the lateness of the hour and the fact that they'd been hard at work on the case since their arrival in Atlanta, Reid had no intentions of going to bed. Instead he pulled out his laptop and logged on to the Internet, hoping that his friend would be online as well. As luck would have it he was.

FBI PROFILER: Charlie, help

MATH WHIZ: What's the problem Spencer?

FBI PROFILER: Morgan found out about Lyssa and now he won't shut up about her. He's asking so many questions I'm beginning to think he's trying to write her biography. And worse, he keeps trying to give me dating advice.

MATH WHIZ: What's wrong with that? Didn't you tell me that Morgan gets lots of girls?

FBI PROFILER: I did say that and it is true. The problem is that he doesn't KEEP any of them

MATH WHIZ: Oh. Well then I have no idea what to tell you my friend. It seems unlikely that Morgan will simply drop the subject. Your best course of action may be to give him a little information. If you do that, then the mystery no longer exists and he may lose interest.

FBI PROFILER: You make a good point Charlie. I suppose it can't hurt to tell them a little bit about her.

MATH WHIZ: Them? I thought we were just talking about Morgan.

FBI PROFILER: We were however by telling him I am essentially telling the entire BAU.

MATH WHIZ: I get you. Well Spencer, let me know how it all turns out.

FBI PROFILER: I will. Thanks for the help Charlie.

MATH WHIZ: No problem. Always glad to help.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

THURSDAY JULY 13

The members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit had just returned from Atlanta Georgia, where they'd spent over a week investigating an UnSub who had an affinity for pipe bombs, and SSAIC Hotchner told them all to go home for the day. Most of the team obeyed the order almost immediately however Morgan lingered in the bullpen area. He sat down at his desk, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What's on your mind sweet cheeks?" a voice called out from across the room, jarring Morgan from his thoughts.

Morgan glanced across the room and watched as the BAU's digital intelligence officer, Penelope Garcia, walked toward him. Morgan smiled as Garcia pulled up a chair and sat down beside him. "Why are you still here?" she asked, a slight note of concern in her voice. "I thought Hotch told everyone to go home."

Morgan ignored the question from her and asked one of his own. "Reid didn't really tell you what had put him in such a good mood before we left for Georgia did he Garcia?"

Garcia shook her head, confused. "No. I just told you that to wind you up, since you seemed so obsessed with it. Why?"

"He met a girl while he was at Virginia Tech for that lecture that Hotch made him give."

"Ahhh," Garcia exclaimed, her eyes widening. 'JJ said that's what it was but I didn't believe her. You mean our little Spencer actually has a girlfriend?"

Morgan nodded. "The thing is I'm not so sure about her. She sounds nice enough and Reid seems completely taken with her but he also told me that she's really interested in profiling. Apparently the two of them discuss Reid's job rather a lot."

Garcia could tell where Morgan was going with this. "You think she may have an ulterior motive for befriending Reid?"

"It's possible," Morgan said. "I know that an interest in profiling doesn't make her an UnSub or anything but still. . ."

"Well," Garcia said, elongating the word. "I can think of one way to find out but if we get caught it won't be pretty."

"If anything happens to Reid because of her it really won't be pretty," Morgan countered.

Garcia nodded. Reid was like the BAU's resident little brother and they'd all do anything to protect him. "Let's do it."

Morgan nodded and together the two of them got to their feet and made their way down to Garcia's domain. Morgan pulled up an extra chair as Garcia sat down in front of her computer. "The girl's name is Lyssa Knight," Morgan told him friend. Garcia nodded and began typing. About fifteen minutes passed by, Garcia working hard, her fingers dancing across the keyboard while Morgan watched, both in silence, and then the digital intelligence officer uttered a small gasp.

Morgan sat bolt upright in his chair. "What is it?! What did you find?!"

Garcia swiveled her chair to face Morgan. "Absolutely nothing. This little chickie of Reid's could pass an FBI background check with flying colors. In fact, you know I think she just did. Take a look at this sweet cheeks."

Morgan briefly scanned the information that Garcia had pulled up on Lyssa Knight and he sighed in relief. "She seems harmless enough."

Garcia nodded. "Who knows, maybe she's a future member of the BAU."

Morgan grinned at his friend. "What do you say we call it quits for today and go out to eat?"

Garcia smiled broadly. "Love to."

Morgan got to his feet and offered Garcia his hand, which she immediately grasped. Morgan helped her to her feet and then the two of them left the office, arm in arm. "You know," Morgan said as they walked toward the elevator. "I think it would be in our best interests if we keep this to ourselves. Reid will flip out if he ever finds out that we did this."

Garcia nodded.

TBC. . .

A/N- Please read and review. I suffer from extreme lack of self confidence.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds.

A/N- Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. You guys are great. I hope you like this latest installment.

Several months passed with Reid working cases with the BAU and seeing Lyssa whenever time and location permitted and as the time passed the young profiler found himself growing ever closer to the young woman who had befriended him at Virginia Tech. The more Reid learned about Lyssa the more he grew to like, if not love, her and the less guarded around her he became.

* * *

BAU HEADQUARTERS

FRIDAY OCTOBER 7

The work day had proven to be uneventful for the members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit and the team members all chatted casually as they prepared to depart.

"Hey boy genius," Morgan called out from his desk as Reid packed a couple of folders into his messenger bag. "Some of us are getting together after work. You in?"

Reid shook his head as he closed his bag and slung the strap across his shoulder. "Sorry but I already have plans."

"O-ho," Morgan said, a wide grin quickly spreading across his face. "And what exactly do you and your girl have planned for tonight?"

Reid shrugged. Somehow Morgan always equated him having plans with Lyssa. "I'm supposed to meet her at her house later this evening."

"My man!" Morgan exclaimed upon hearing this news. "Looks like our boy is finally going to get some action."

Reid blushed profusely, holding up his hands as though the motion could somehow shield him from what Morgan was saying. "It's nothing like that. Lyssa said that she wanted to make dinner for the two of us since we always go out."

Morgan grinned. "If you say so."

Reid sighed as he turned to leave.

"Have fun boy genius," Morgan called out as Reid walked across the bullpen, toward the elevators. "Make me proud."

Reid waved at his colleague from over his shoulder, continuing in the direction of the elevator. The smile on Morgan's face widened due to this gesture, which told him that the kid was refusing to play into the game. He was finally learning.

Once in the elevator Reid headed, not for the exit but for the office inhabited by the BAU's digital intelligence officer, Penelope Garcia. When he arrived at her door he raised his hand and then hesitated for the briefest of moments before knocking lightly.

"Enter o seeker of knowledge," a voice called out imperiously from within.

Reid opened the door and then stepped inside the office. Garcia spun her chair around and smiled up at the young profiler. "You came seeking knowledge, grasshopper. Ask and ye shall receive."

Reid twitched a smile and nervously cleared his throat. "I need some advice Garcia."

"Ask away junior G-man."

"I-I want to get Lyssa a gift," Reid said, feeling his face warm up in embarrassment. "And I was wondering if you had any suggestions."

"Depends on what you want to say," Garcia said, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Although flowers are usually a good choice, roses being on the top of the list."

"Roses," Reid repeated.

Garcia nodded. "And if you want to keep your message low key then I suggest you go with yellow roses, not red."

"Red is typically perceived as meaning love," Reid said in his lilting, matter-of-fact way, relaxing a small degree as the topic shifted to statistics which were his forte. "While yellow is friendship. Thanks Garcia."

"Don't mention it sweetie," Garcia called out as Reid quickly left the office. "Always glad to help."

* * *

Morgan was sitting at his desk, lost in thought, when he heard a voice call out to him from across the room. "What's that look for?"

Morgan glanced up and watched as Garcia walked across the bullpen and came to stand in front of him. "Our boy genius has another date tonight."

"So?" Garcia said. "What's the significance of that? I thought you'd lost interest when you found out who she was and that she didn't pose a threat to Reid."

"The significance is that they're meeting at the girl's house," Morgan told her. "She wants to make him dinner and after that. . ."

Garcia shook her head, knowing where Morgan was going with this line of thought. "That doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means. After all there's one thing that you have to remember."

"What's that?" Morgan wanted to know.

"Reid isn't you," Garcia said simply.

"Oh," Morgan said, faking a little gasp and clutching his chest. "That was harsh girl."

"Hey," Garcia said. "Sometimes the truth hurts."

"Why do you have to be so cruel to me?" Morgan asked, his bottom lip stuck out in a small pout.

"Poor thing," Garcia said. "I'll have to see what I can do to make it up to you."

"I can think of a few things," Morgan told her, a roguish grin appearing on his face.

"You know," the familiar voice of their fearless leader called out from the landing above. "If the two of you are absolutely determined to stay here, even though you've been given permission to go home, then I'm sure I can find something constructive for you to do."

"That won't be necessary Hotch," Morgan said, quickly jumping to his feet and grabbing Garcia by the hand. "Come on angel before he makes good on that threat."

Garcia nodded as she allowed Morgan to drag her toward the elevator.

Hotchner chuckled softly to himself as he watched the two of them flee.

"You'd better watch out," a voice called out from behind him. "Or you'll ruin your reputation."

"What are you talking about Jason?" Hotchner asked, not even bothering to turn around as the senior agent came to stand beside him.

"You wouldn't want people to find out that you're not as scary as they've been led to believe," Gideon told him. "That happens and you'll have to work twice as hard to instill fear in them."

"What are you talking about?" Hotchner asked, rolling his eyes which he hardly ever did. "I have yet to instill fear in any of them. If I had then Reid wouldn't be showing his colleagues 'physics magic' in the bullpen."

Gideon chuckled softly. "Did it again huh?"

Hotchner nodded. "Did you know he can launch those things all the way across the room now?"

Gideon shook his head. "I was not aware of that. I'll have a word with him if you like."

"That won't be necessary," Hotchner told him. "I spoke to him about it."

* * *

After leaving the BAU headquarters Reid made his way to a small flower shop, where he purchased a dozen yellow roses and then he continued on to his apartment, to bide his time until he could meet Lyssa. The young man was sitting on the sofa, lost in thought, when he was jarred from his thoughts by a sudden knock on the door.

"Who. . ."

Getting to his feet Reid made his way to the door of his apartment, which he opened to reveal someone he hadn't seen in months. "Charlie!"

"Hey Spencer," Charlie Eppes said, offering his friend a wide smile, and gesturing toward a young woman who stood at his side. "We were in the neighborhood and we thought we'd drop by."

"Come in," Reid said, stepping aside and allowing them to enter his apartment.

Charlie and Amita stepped inside the apartment and Reid closed the door behind them. Then he turned to face his two friends. "So what brings you guys to Virginia?"

"Mathematics conference at Georgetown," Charlie told his friend. "After which we couldn't resist the urge to come and pay you a visit."

"I'm glad you did," Reid said. "It's great to see you again."

Charlie nodded as his eyes scanned the apartment, coming to rest on the vase of flowers that Reid had placed on the coffee table. "Do you have plans tonight Spencer?"

Reid hesitated. He didn't want to tell them that he'd been planning to meet Lyssa for dinner since that information would most likely make them leave. An answer wasn't required however as Charlie picked up on Reid's hesitation and accurately read it.

"I'm sorry Spencer," Charlie said quickly. "Just tell us if you have plans and we'll leave."

"No," Reid said. "You don't have to do that. I'll call Lyssa and reschedule."

"Spencer," Amita said. "You don't have to. . ."

Reid held up his hands, at the same time picking his cell phone up from the coffee table. Flipping it open he quickly dialed a number and then held the phone up to his ear. "Lyssa, hey it's Spencer. Listen, some friends of mine came in from California so is there any way we could reschedule. . . Are you sure? Okay, I'll ask them."

Reid held the cell phone to his shoulder, to muffle the voices and said, "Would the two of you be interested in joining Lyssa and I for dinner?"

Charlie and Amita exchanged looks and then the couple turned back to Reid and nodded. "Sounds like fun." Charlie said with a grin.

Reid nodded and placed the phone back to his ear. "We'll be there. Yea, I'll see you then."

Reid flipped his phone closed and clipped it back to his belt. Then he turned back to Charlie and Amita and offered them a half smile.

"Bet that wasn't part of the evil plan," Charlie said with a smirk, his gaze focused intently on Reid. "Now Amita and I get to meet your girl."

"That's alright," Reid said in a quiet voice. "You guys can save me from the dog. Not to mention if things take a turn for the worse you can say that you have somewhere important that you have to be. Then, since I'll be the driver, I'll have no choice other than to leave with you guys."

Charlie gave his friend a slightly impressed look. "You sure came up with that plan fast Spencer." He paused a moment and then added, 'You haven't met the dog yet?"

Reid shook his head. "She's invited me to her house a couple of times but I've avoided it up until now."

"So what made you accept this time?" Amita wanted to know.

Reid shrugged. "I decided to take a chance."

LYSSA'S HOUSE

A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER

Reid couldn't shake the slightly nauseous feeling he had as he pulled up to the small, white house that belonged to Lyssa. He briefly debated a hasty retreat however that plan was made impossible as he saw Lyssa waving at him from the porch, a small white dog standing beside her.

"Well," Reid said quietly, more to himself than to his companions. "No turning back now."

Opening their doors they all stepped out of the car and in that instant the dog left his spot by Lyssa's side and ran toward them, barking loudly. "Shiro-chan!" Lyssa called out as the dog ran toward her guests. The dog ignored her and kept running.

Reid tensed. "Oh no."

Shiro-chan ran directly to Reid and sat down in front of him, gazing up intently.

Reid leaned forward and offered the dog his hand, which Shiro-chan proceeded to sniff. "Um, hello Shiro-chan."

The dog ceased his sniffing and cocked his head to one side, as though he were intrigued by Reid. Then he gave one yelp and licked Reid's hand. Reid looked slightly disgusted by the situation and Lyssa laughed as she left her spot on the porch and made her way out into the yard to join them. "See Spencer I told you so. Shiro-chan loves everyone."

"From the look on his face I'm thinking Spencer might have preferred it if the dog hadn't liked him," Charlie said, offering Lyssa his hand. "Charlie Eppes, pleased to meet you."

"Lyssa Knight," she said as she took his proffered hand. She gazed at him in an appraising manner. "So you're Charlie. Spencer's spoke of you often."

"Considering all the things I've said and done to irritate him in the rather short time that we've known one another, I shudder to think what he's said," Charlie said. Then he gestured toward Amita. "This is my friend and colleague Dr. Amita Romanajan."

Amita held out her hand, which Lyssa shook.

"Another doctor huh?" Lyssa said, offering Amita a friendly smile. "I feel like the dumb one at the party. I'm just a lowly grad student."

Lyssa's guests all laughed and then she motioned for them to follow her. "Well come on inside. Dinner's almost ready."

Everyone nodded and fell into step behind her, even the dog, however about halfway across the front yard Reid stopped short and smacked himself lightly on the forehead. "I'm such an idiot! Hold on for just a second." This said, the young profiler turned and dashed back over to his car. Opening the back driver's side door he leaned inside and when he stood back up he was holding a vase of yellow roses.

He quickly made his way back to the spot where the others were standing and he sheepishly offered the flowers to Lyssa. "I brought you a gift."

Lyssa took the flowers from him with one hand and then threw her other arm around his neck. "Oh Spencer, they're gorgeous! Thank you."

Reid twitched a nervous smile as she released her hold on him and the quintet continued on their way over to the house.

"Good job Spencer," Charlie mouthed to his friend behind Lyssa's back.

Reid nodded, making a mental note to thank Garcia for her advice the next time he saw her.

Lyssa led the group into her house which, although small, had a warm and inviting feel to it. She led them from the small entry way into the den, where she gestured toward a sofa and a couple of comfortable looking armchairs. "Make yourselves at home while I finish with dinner."

Reid, Charlie and Amita all nodded and Charlie and Amita took seats on the sofa while Reid sat down in an armchair that was positioned across from it. The little dog, Shiro-chan, curled up at Reid's feet and placed his head on top of the profiler's shoe.

Reid stared down at the dog, a completely baffled expression on his face. "I don't understand this. Dogs usually hate me."

"Did you take my advice?" Charlie inquired.

"Well I did skim through a couple of books about dogs while I was at the bookstore yesterday," Reid admitted. "But I'm not trying to profile the dog."

"Oh come on Spencer," Charlie said with a grin. "You read the books, because skimming for you means reading. Profile the dog already. It could be fun."

Reid shook his head in exasperation and Amita playfully slapped her boyfriend on the arm. "Leave him alone Charlie."

"Thank you," Reid said, casting a grateful nod in Amita's direction.

It wasn't long after that when Lyssa reentered the den and smiled at her guests. "Dinner's ready."

Reid, Charlie and Amita all got to their feet and followed Lyssa into a small kitchen/dining room where a small table had been set for four.

"I hope you guys like pasta," Lyssa said as she gestured toward a large bowl filled with spaghetti and meatballs. There were two baskets full of breadsticks on either side of the spaghetti.

"It looks delicious," Amita said.

Charlie nodded his head in agreement. "And it smells even better than it looks. Thanks again for inviting us."

"Oh it's no problem," Lyssa said with a smile. "I really enjoy having guests."

"So Spencer tells us that you're a psychology major," Amita said once everyone had served themselves.

Lyssa nodded. "I'm getting my master's degree at the moment and I'm actually a guidance counselor at Pine Hills Junior High."

"Do you plan on changing careers once you have your master's?" Reid asked, kind of enjoying the fact that the conversation wasn't centered on him for a change.

"Well," Lyssa said, hesitating slightly. "I've actually been thinking that it might be kind of cool to be a profiler like Spencer."

Reid's eyes widened in surprise. That hadn't been the reply that he'd been expecting from her even though she had shown a tremendous interest in criminal profiling. "Really?"

Lyssa nodded. "I don't know why but it seems really interesting."

Reid saw the excitement in her blue eyes and he couldn't bare to tell her that his job actually gave him nightmares. He'd always avoided the darker aspects of his job when speaking to her and he knew that he should tell her the whole truth now so that she'd have an accurate picture of the job but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"And if that doesn't work out for me I've been taking classes in forensic science," Lyssa said with a smile. "Sorta like a back-up plan."

"Got all of the bases covered huh Lyssa?" Charlie said with a smile.

Lyssa nodded. "Something like that."

* * *

After dinner Lyssa led her guests back in to the den where they spent their time playing board games. They started out with a classic, Monopoly, and then, much to Charlie's dismay, they moved on to Scrabble.

"Ugh," Charlie groaned the moment he saw the Scrabble board in Lyssa's hands. "You have got to be kidding me."

"What's the problem?" Lyssa and Reid both asked at the same time.

"Oh," Amita said, laughing and shaking her head at the expression on her boyfriend's face. "Charlie didn't tell you about his problem?"

"What problem?" Reid asked, his interest piqued.

"Well," Charlie said, running a hand through his mass of curly hair. "I'm not exactly the best speller on the planet."

Amita laughed. "That's putting it mildly."

Charlie glanced over at his girlfriend but chose not to comment. He merely resigned himself to his fate. There would be no escaping the humiliation.

* * *

The group spent a couple of hours playing games together and then Reid decided that it was probably time to end the little party. He turned to Charlie and Amita. "Are you guys ready to go?"

Charlie and Amita both nodded.

Lyssa got to her feet with the others and walked them out to the front door. Charlie and Amita both made their way across the yard to the car, leaving Reid and Lyssa on the porch together.

"I had a really nice time tonight," Lyssa said quietly.

"So did I," Reid said. "Thanks for inviting my friends over Lyssa. That was really nice and it meant the world to me."

Lyssa waved off the thank you. "You don't have to thank me for that Spencer. I'm really glad that you brought them along. They were very interesting."

Reid nodded. "They are that."

Lyssa smiled. "You'll have to bring them back the next time they're in town."

Reid twitched a smile and then leaned forward and hesitantly touched Lyssa's lips with his own. Lyssa wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with much more confidence than Reid had displayed.

"I-I'll call you later," Reid said when they finally broke apart. He was really thankful that it was dark so that she couldn't see the blush that he knew was coloring his face.

Lyssa nodded. "Drive safely Spencer."

Reid waved his hand over his shoulder as he made his way over to the spot where he'd parked the car. Opening the driver's side door Reid got inside the car and, glancing over at the passenger's side he saw that Charlie was wearing an annoying smirk. "Not ONE word."

Charlie held up his hands. "Hey I didn't say anything."

TBC. . .


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds

BAU HEADQUARTERS

MONDAY OCTOBER 30

"Hey Spencer," Jareau called out as the members of the BAU all prepared to leave for the day. "We're all going out to grab a bite to eat. You wanna come with us?"

"I'd like to," Reid said. "But Lyssa and I already have plans."

"That's too bad," Jareau said. "Maybe next time."

"Definitely next time," Reid said as he slung the strap of his messenger bag across his shoulder. "See you guys later."

"Reid seems more outgoing than he was before," Prentiss commented as Reid stepped inside an elevator. "Have you guys noticed?"

Morgan nodded, thinking to himself that they'd all known Reid a lot longer than she had and if she'd noticed something unusual about his behavior then of course the rest of them had. "I think we have Lyssa to thank for that. She's been getting our boy out in public more often."

"Hey, have any of you guys actually met this girl?" Jareau asked.

The others all shook their heads. While Reid did speak of his girlfriend from time to time no one in the BAU had actually met her.

* * *

Reid drove to his apartment and took a quick shower and then he met Lyssa at the restaurant that she had chosen. "Sorry I'm late," Reid apologized as he walked up to Lyssa and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "The team worked late today."

"It's okay Spencer," Lyssa said quickly. "You don't have to apologize to me. I know how important your job is. I understand."

Reid smiled and offered her his arm. Lyssa took it and together the two of them entered the steakhouse. They were barely inside the door when they heard someone call out, "Look who it is? Boy genius!"

"Oh no," Reid groaned as he glanced around and saw his colleagues sitting together at a large table.

The hostess walked over to the couple however Garcia had walked over to them by this time and she smiled at the woman. "They're with us sweetie, thanks." Then she seized Reid with one hand, Lyssa with the other and led the startled couple over to the table where the BAU team was seated.

"Are these your friends Spencer?" Lyssa asked with a smile as Garcia pulled over a couple of chairs for them while everyone else made room at the table. Reid nodded and pointed toward each of his colleagues in turn. "Penelope Garcia, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Aaron Hotchner, Emily Prentiss and Jason Gideon. Guys this is Lyssa Knight."

Lyssa offered the group of profilers a friendly smile. "It's nice to finally meet you guys. Spencer speaks very highly of you all."

Reid listened as each of his teammates greeted Lyssa, wondering as he did so exactly what he'd ever done in life to deserve this. Charlie was still giving him a hard time over Lyssa and he could only imagine how Morgan was going to act. As if she sensed how nervous he'd become Lyssa reached under the table and grasped his hand. Reid couldn't help but smile as Lyssa gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

"So has our boy been treating you good?" Morgan asked, flashing Lyssa one of his winning smiles.

Lyssa nodded. "Spencer's one of the nicest guys that I've ever met. I really enjoy spending time with him."

Reid blushed, slightly embarrassed about her reply but pleased none the less.

"Are you good to him?" Garcia asked.

Reid's head spun around to stare at the computer tech, that having been the last question he'd expected one of them to ask. "Garcia!"

"What?" Garcia asked, an innocent expression on her face. "It's a completely valid question."

"It's okay Spencer," Lyssa said with a smile, giving his hand another comforting squeeze. "I think it's great that your friends are protective of you. And to answer your question, yes I try to be."

"Good answer," Garcia said, nodding her head in approval.

"So Lyssa," Hotchner said. "Reid mentioned that you have an interest in profiling."

Lyssa nodded. "I'm a psychologist and I find what you guys do extremely fascinating."

Reid sighed in relief as the topic of conversation shifted away from his relationship with Lyssa and on to profiling. Thankfully the inquisition seemed to be over, at least for the moment.

"Have you ever thought about a career with the FBI Lyssa?" Hotchner asked, catching everyone off guard.

"Not really," Lyssa replied honestly, shaking her head.

"Maybe you should," Hotchner said, his serious gaze focused on the young woman in an appraising manner. "You could be BAU material in a few years."

"Really?" Lyssa asked. "You think so?"

Hotchner nodded.

"You should take that as the highest compliment," Morgan said, offering Lyssa another one of his winning smiles. "Hotch almost never says things like that."

Lyssa smiled while Hotchner just shook his head.

* * *

About an hour later Lyssa turned to Reid and offered him a smile. "Spencer, this is really fun but I have a test tomorrow that I should probably go home and study for."

"Alright," Reid said with a smile, getting to his feet and pulling back her chair. "I'll walk you out to your car."

Reid pulled out his wallet and handed Hotchner the money for their portion of the check and then he and Lyssa left the restaurant together. "I'm really sorry about that," Reid said as the two of them walked across the parking lot together. "I had no idea that they were going to be here."

"Don't apologize fro your friends Spencer," Lyssa said, standing up on her tip toes so that she could kiss him on the cheek. "I think they're great."

Reid nodded. "I do too, most days at least."

"Give me a call later Spencer," Lyssa said as she climbed inside her car.

Reid nodded as he watched her leave. And as he stood in the parking lot the young profiler was soon surrounded by his colleagues from the BAU. He felt someone clap him on the shoulder and he glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Morgan standing beside him.

"Hey Reid," Morgan said, for once dispensing with the torment that he usually heaped upon the younger man. "She's a good one kid."

"Definitely a keeper," Garcia said, coming to stand on the other side of Reid.

Reid twitched a smile. "You guys think so?"

Morgan and Garcia both nodded. That pleased Reid more than he would ever admit, the fact that his teammates all seemed to like Lyssa. For that matter, everyone seemed to like her, the girl made friends where ever she went.

"Thanks guys," Reid said quietly. "I think I'm going to head for home myself. I'll see you guys at work tomorrow."

"Have a good night kid," Morgan called out as the young man walked away from the rest of the group.

Reid waved over his shoulder, to show that he'd heard.

REID'S APARTMENT

LATER THAT NIGHT

When Reid arrived home he set up his lap top and signed on to his Instant Messenger. He was pleased to see that Charlie was also online.

FBI PROFILER: Hey Charlie

MATH WHIZ: It's Spencer! How are you buddy?

FBI PROFILER: I'm okay. Just got back from dinner

MATH WHIZ: With Lyssa?

FBI PROFILER: Among others

MATH WHIZ: What others?

FBI PROFILER: Morgan, Gideon, the whole BAU team

MATH WHIZ: How exactly did that happen?

FBI PROFILER: The team decided to go out to eat together and it just so happened that Lyssa and I chose the same steakhouse they did

MATH WHIZ: Oww. So how did that go?

FBI PROFILER: Surprisingly enough, not that bad. Lyssa had a good time and they all seemed to like her.

MATH WHIZ: That's good

FBI PROFILER: I thought so. So how have you been?

MATH WHIZ: Pretty good. I've been helping out at the FBI quite a bit lately to make up for the time I was away for the mathematics conference. Oh and Don told me to tell you congratulations on your girlfriend.

FBI PROFILER: You told him about that?

MATH WHIZ: I mentioned our little double date

FBI PROFILER: I guess the next time I talk to your brother I'm going to have to mention our little Scrabble game

MATH WHIZ: You wouldn't. . .

FBI PROFILER: Think not?

MATH WHIZ: Okay, you would. Please don't. He already knows that I'm a terrible speller and I don't need any new grief and that's exactly what I'll get from Don if you tell him that I took bad spelling to a whole new level.

FBI PROFILER: Guess that means you should be a little nicer to me from now on.

MATH WHIZ: Isn't blackmail a federal offense? Not that I wouldn't do the exact same thing in your position

FBI PROFILER: Would. . . Have. . . You have absolutely no right to talk.

MATH WHIZ: I surrender, you win. I get the point.

REID'S APARTMENT

TUESDAY OCTOBER 31

Reid was incredibly thankful for his ability to get by on not a lot of sleep as the alarm sounded at six o'clock in the morning, barely four hours after he'd finally gone to bed. Slapping the alarm to silence it Reid rolled out of bed to get ready for work, almost wishing that he hadn't spent most of the night chatting with Charlie on the computer.

Almost.

After the events of the previous night Reid was kind of dreading going to work. Now everyone in the BAU had met Lyssa and he was sure someone, most likely Morgan, was going to make a comment about the two of them being complete opposites.

_"I could call in sick," _he briefly thought to himself as he climbed out of the shower and dressed in khaki slacks, a white button down shirt, covered by a blue blazer and a red and yellow striped tie, left slightly loosened. The young man quickly abandoned that plan however and, after funning a comb through his damp hair, Reid gathered up his things and crammed them into his messenger bag.

With a sigh Reid slung the strap of the bag over his shoulder and left his apartment, locking the door behind himself.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

AN HOUR LATER

When Reid arrived at the complex that housed the Behavioral Analysis Unit he ran into Gideon at the front entrance. "Hey Spencer," the older profiler said by way of greeting as the younger man walked up to him.

"Hello Gideon," Reid said in a quiet voice.

"You're a little early today aren't you?" Gideon asked, glancing down at the watch that he wore.

Reid nodded. "I was actually hoping I could make it upstairs without running into anyone."

Gideon nodded his head in understanding. It didn't take a profiler to tell that Reid was worried about how his colleagues were going to treat him after last night. "Don't worry Reid, everyone seemed to really like the young lady you were with."

Reid glanced at his mentor out of the corner of his eye. "What about you? What did you think about her?"

Gideon held a thoughtful expression on his face before he replied, "I found her to be very engaging and I think Hotch was right. She could very well be BAU material in a couple of years with the right training."

Reid smiled. "It made her day when Hotch told her that."

Gideon chuckled. "Better watch out Reid. Next thing you know she'll be taking the FBI entrance test."

Reid had no reply to that. He honestly couldn't say whether that would upset him or not. When the elevator stopped on their floor Gideon and Reid parted ways; the former going up to his office while the latter made his way across the bullpen area to his desk. Placing his messenger bag on the floor under his desk Reid sat down and ran his hands through his almost dry hair.

_"Lyssa in the FBI. That would definitely be interesting."_

"Hey Reid!"

The young profiler jumped as Morgan called out to him from across the bullpen. Turning around in his chair Reid watched his teammates approach not sure what had surprised him more; the unexpected greeting that had jarred him from his thoughts or the fact that Morgan hadn't called him boy genius. "Good morning."

"We didn't offend your girl or anything last night did we?" Morgan seemed genuinely concerned as he asked this question.

Reid shook his head. "No. She seemed to really like you guys."

"That's good," Morgan said in a serious tone of voice as he sat down at his own desk. "You should definitely hang on to this girl. She's good for you."

This said Morgan flipped open a file folder and began to write. Reid watched his colleague work, unable to believe that was the end of it. He'd fully expected Morgan to give him grief about his very outgoing girlfriend. _"Weird," _he thought to himself. This was the one scenario that he hadn't played out in his mind before coming to work.

TBC. . .


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds

LYSSA'S HOUSE

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17

"So Spence," Lyssa said as the two of them sat beneath a large oak tree out in her back yard, playing with Shiro-chan. "Are you getting together with your family for Thanksgiving or do you have to work?"

"Well," Reid said thoughtfully as he tossed a tennis ball for the dog. "I'll more than likely have to work that day, whether out of town or at Quantico, but I don't really have any family to celebrate with so it doesn't really matter. My Mom's in Nevada, after all, and she's pretty much all that I have."

Lyssa nodded. She knew about Reid's mother, that Diana Reid was a paranoid schizophrenic who lived in a sanitarium in Las Vegas. She also knew that the subject was painful for Reid, which made her feel guilty for bringing it up seeing as she had first hand knowledge of traumatic childhoods.

"You're like me," the young woman said quietly, reaching over and taking hold of Reid's hand. "I don't have any family close by although I think I have an aunt out there somewhere."

"You think you have an aunt?" Reid asked in confusion, slightly surprised that their discussion had shifted to the topic of Lyssa's family. She'd been avoiding that particular subject since the day that they'd met.

Lyssa nodded, a distant look in her vivid blue eyes. "My mom died when I was born and my father was an abusive bastard. I was taken away from him when I was seven years old and I spent most of my childhood in various foster homes."

"I'm sorry," Reid said quietly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Lyssa shrugged. "You don't have to be sorry Spencer, it's okay, really.. It gets lonely sometimes not having a family but on the bright side the only one I have to please is myself. I have the freedom to be who and what I want to be without having to worry about disappointing someone. Plus I have my little Shiro-chan. . . and you."

Reid smiled slightly.

"Tell you what," Lyssa said, an idea coming to her. "If you're not out of town with the BAU on Thanksgiving you can come over here and I'll cook a meal for the two of us."

he

"That seems like a lot of trouble for just two people," Reid said.

"Oh it won't be any trouble," Lyssa said with a smile. "I really enjoy cooking and YOU can do the dishes."

"Alright," Reid said, laughing softly to himself. "If I'm not away on a case then it's a date."

"Great!" Lyssa exclaimed as she tossed the slightly damp tennis ball for her dog for the fifteenth time. "And if you're out of town for Thanksgiving then I'll just cook for us when you get back. After all there's no law that says you can't cook a turkey on a day other than Thanksgiving."

"You have a solution to everything don't you?" Reid asked, slightly impressed by her planning.

"Yep," Lyssa said. "My teachers always said I had good problem solving skills."

"They were right," Reid said.

REID'S APARTMENT

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18

FOUR A.M.

Barely half an hour had passed since Reid had finally crawled into bed and he jumped slightly when his cell phone began to ring. Instantly wide awake the young man grabbed the phone off of the night stand and glanced down at the screen which was the only light in the pitch black room. The illuminated screen held the single word, Hotch.

Knowing that something bad must have happened for his boss to call him this early in the morning Reid quickly flipped his phone open. "Reid."

"We're meeting at headquarters in an hour," his boss' voice said over the phone, the tone as crisp and business-like as always despite the early hour. "We've got a case and it's a bad one."

"I'll be there."

Flipping his phone closed Reid got out of bed and, after a hurried shower, left his apartment for the headquarters of the FBI.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

AN HOUR LATER

The BAU profilers, along with Agent Jareau and Penelope Garcia, assembled in the conference room as soon as they arrived and all of them, with the exception of Hotchner, looked slightly more disheveled than usual. Their leader however was, of course, his usual flawless self. He was the last to enter the conference room and he closed the door behind himself as he did so.

"Thank you all for assembling so quickly," Hotchner said as his intense gaze surveyed the room. "A small town in North Dakota, Valley City, has seen a string of child abductions turned murder. In the past month three little girls have gone missing, their bodies typically being found about a week and a half after they went missing. JJ received a call from their police chief this morning saying that another girl was taken last night. They've requested our assistance so that hopefully this little girl can be brought home alive."

As Hotchner spoke Jareau opened a file folder embossed with the seal of the FBI and handed out a photograph of a small girl, appearing to be between the ages of three and five years old.

"Amilee Christian," Jareau said once everyone had a copy of the photograph. "Four years old. Abducted from a supermarket where she was shopping with her grandmother."

"Why would anyone want to hurt something so precious?" Garcia asked as she stared down at the pixie-like face of the missing child.

Hotchner shook his head; he had no answer for her question. "We have to find the UnSub as quickly as possible so that he doesn't have a chance to hurt this little girl. Wheel's are up in an hour."

This was Hotchner's usual cue for them to gather together their gear and the BAU profilers all quickly did so however instead of talking amongst themselves, like they normally did, they all grabbed their ready bags and returned to the conference room. Each team member quickly read through the case file, Reid finishing first of course, and then they began discussing what could have caused the UnSub to perpetrate this particular crime.

"The fact that the UnSub targets small children suggests two things," Reid said in his lilting, matter-of-fact manner, skimming through the case file one more time. "One; he has a need to feel powerful and in control and two; he doesn't have the strength and or the skills to target adults."

Morgan nodded. "There were no signs of sexual assault on any of the victims, which is unusual since the victims were all small girls. There were also no signs of injury on the three girls, save for the fatal one, the snapped neck."

"No one in the supermarket where the fourth victim was abducted noticed anything out of the ordinary the evening that she was abducted," Prentiss said. "They had no idea that something had happened to the child until the frantic grandmother came up to one of the registers screaming that she couldn't find her granddaughter. The organized a search and sealed off the store however the child was gone."

"That tells us that our UnSub is a smooth talker," Gideon spoke up. He had remained silent up until this point. He hadn't even greeted his colleagues when they'd arrived. "He managed to convince this little girl to leave the supermarket with him without causing a scene. The UnSub is a normal guy, possibly even part of the community. He belongs there, or at least he looks like he belongs there."

The door of the conference room swung open at this point. "Time to go," Hotchner said as he stuck his head in the door.

Silently the members of the BAU got to their feet, grabbed their things, and filed out of the conference room.

LEARJET

AN HOUR LATER

"You should all try to get some sleep," Hotchner told his team as they all settled in for the flight to North Dakota. "We start work on the case the moment the wheel's touch the ground."

The team members all nodded and most of them settled down to get what sleep they could before they arrived in North Dakota. Unfortunately for him Reid was wide awake so he pulled out his laptop and set it up on the small table that was in front of him. He knew that it was too early on the West Coast for Charlie to be online however he was hoping that Lyssa might be.

And luck was on his side.

FBI PROFILER: Good morning

MYSTIC WOLF: Spencer! What in the world are you doing up so early? Have you even been to bed yet?

Reid couldn't help but smile at her mother hen routine. She was always telling him that he needed to take better care of himself.

FBI PROFILER: Calm down. Yes, I went to bed but I received a call from Hotch at four this morning saying that we had a case.

MYSTIC WOLF: Oh. So where are you now?

FBI PROFILER: We just took off. We're on our way to a small town in North Dakota. I have no idea when I'll be back or for that matter when I'll have a free moment to email you so I just wanted to take this opportunity to talk to you.

MYSTIC WOLF: Good luck with your case Spence and if you need to talk about anything you can give me a call anytime. I don't care if it's two o'clock in the morning, if you need me, call me.

FBI PROFILER: Thanks Lyssa. I'll keep that in mind. So why exactly are you up at this hour?

MYSTIC WOLF: Force of habit. I have to get up really early for work and school Monday through Friday so on the weekends, when I actually have the opportunity to sleep in, I can't. It's maddening.

Reid couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself as he read through her little rant session.

FBI PROFILER: If it makes you feel any better I know exactly how you feel. I think the most sleep I've ever gotten at one time was six hours. I average about three or four.

MYSTIC WOLF: That's horrible Spencer. Why in the world would you think that would make me feel better? Contrary to popular belief misery does not love company. At least not in my case.

FBI PROFILER: I'm sorry Lyssa. I'll never do it again.

MYSTIC WOLF: You'd better not or you'll be in the dog house.

FBI PROFILER: That probably wouldn't be so bad. I've seen where the dog lives.

MYSTIC WOLF: Ah, my little Spencer has developed a sense of humor.

Reid paused, his hands over the keyboard, as he thought about what Lyssa had written. She'd called him HERS and strangely that made him feel good. Someone actually wanted him.

FBI PROFILER: Ha-ha

MYSTIC WOLF: Laugh it up, but just remember what they say about payback.

FBI PROFILER: I'll try to keep that in mind.

VALLEY CITY NORTH DAKOTA

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18

When the BAU profilers arrived in Valley City they quickly took their things to the motel where they would be staying while they were in North Dakota and then they met the chief of the local police department. Hotchner led the way inside the small town police headquarters, followed behind by Gideon and the rest of the room.

A slender, auburn haired woman was seated behind the front desk and she glanced up as the group walked through the front door. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked the group, not unkindly.

Hotchner held up his credentials. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent in Charge Aaron Hotchner. We're from the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI and we're here to see Chief Conway."

The woman nodded as she quickly got to her feet. "Wait here please and I'll be back in a couple of minutes." This said the receptionist rushed away, returning a few minutes later in the company of a tall, broad shouldered man who had dark, but slightly graying hair and intelligent gray eyes.

"I'm Chief Travis Conway," the man introduced himself as he extended his hand to Hotchner. "Thank you so much for coming."

"SSAIC Aaron Hotchner." Hotchner quickly introduced the rest of the team and Chief Conway shook each one's hand, with the exception of Reid who offered the man a small wave. "Is there somewhere we can set up?"

Chief Conway nodded. "We have our conference room set up for you. If you'll follow me."

The agents followed the police chief through the large front room of the station, down a narrow hallway and into a room that was just barely large enough to accommodate the group of profilers.

"I'm sorry about the size of the room," Chief Conway apologized as the group from the FBI entered the conference room and began to set up. "This is the largest room that we have."

"It's fine," Gideon said. "Don't worry about it. Have you gathered any new evidence since the last time we spoke?"

Chief Conway shook his head, looking slightly dejected. "We've followed several leads but none of them panned out. We're no closer to an answer than we were when I called Ms. Jareau."

"If you'll get us all of your case files we'll get started," Gideon said, not wanting to waste another minute. A little girl's life was on the line and the faster they sorted through the evidence and came up with a profile of the kidnapper then the better the chances were that they could bring her home alive.

Chief Conway nodded and quickly left the room. He returned about fifteen minutes later, carrying two large boxes stacked one on top of the other. The chief placed the two boxes on the table that was in the center of the conference room. "This is everything we've got."

"Thank you," Gideon said as he opened the top box.

Chief Conway nodded as he and the rest of the BAU team immersed themselves in the evidence and case files.

"Alright," Hotchner said as the police chief left the room, closing the door quietly behind himself. "Morgan and Prentiss, I want the two of you to work on victimology. Find out why each of these little girls was targeted. Reid, I want you to work on finding any similarities between the cases. Find out if there are any connections. JJ, you're in charge of making sure the local PD is kept up to speed on the progress of the case. Jason, I think you and I should visit the crime scenes."

Gideon nodded, showing his approval of the plan.

This decision made the group all set about their assigned tasks with Hotchner and Gideon leaving the conference room to request a ride out to the locations where the three bodies had been found from one of the local police officers. Gideon took the lead as the two senior agents left the conference room and he led the way back to the chief's office. The door was slightly ajar and Gideon knocked lightly on it.

"Come in," the chief called out as he glanced up from his paperwork.

Gideon and Hotchner both stepped inside the small office and Chief Conway said, "Is there something I can help you guys with?"

Hotchner nodded and Gideon said, "Agent Hotchner and I would like to take a look at the crime scenes. Can you spare an officer to show us the way?"

"Of course," Chief Conway said with a nod. He got to his feet and ushered the two FBI agents back out into the crowded front room. "Jones," he called out.

"Yes sir?" A young blonde woman quickly stepped over to the spot where the chief stood. Based on her appearance and mannerisms Gideon guessed that she'd been out of the police academy less than a year.

"Lacy could you please take these two gentlemen from the FBI out to the scenes where the three little girls were found?" Chief Conway asked.

"Of course sir," Officer Jones said, her voice filled with youthful enthusiasm.

"Thanks," Gideon said with a nod in Chief Conway's direction as he and Hotchner fell into step behind the eager young officer. Officer Jones led the way out to the small parking lot in front of the police station and up to a white Chevy 4-Runner with Valley City Police Department written on both sides. She climbed into the driver's side while Gideon took shotgun which left Hotchner in the back, something he was unaccustomed to.

_"Now I know why Reid said he always feels like the unwanted kid brother who's been pawned off on an older sibling for the day,"_ Hotchner thought to himself as he fastened his seatbelt, resolving as he did so to make sure that Reid occasionally had the opportunity to ride up front from now on.

The trio drove in silence and half an hour after they departed the Valley City Police station they pulled off the main road and made their way down a gravel road that led into a wooded area. Officer Jones drove for another quarter of a mile before pulling off to the side of the road and turning off the engine. She turned to face Gideon as she unfastened her seatbelt. "The first victim, Reagan Price, was found just on the other side of this embankment."

"Thanks," Gideon said as he and Hotchner both got out of the 4-Runner and the group made their way over to the spot where the first little girl had been found.

"The police report said that the child's body was found wrapped in a blanket," Gideon said as he and Hotchner surveyed the scene.

Officer Jones nodded. "Yea, a red and white checkered blanket. The kind you see families taking on picnics in the old movies."

Gideon nodded to show that he'd heard her and continued to walk around the small clearing. Then he turned to Hotchner. "Do you think the child was killed here?"

"It's almost impossible to say," Hotchner said, shaking his head ever so slightly. "There aren't any apparent signs of a struggle but the victim was a small child so. . ."

Gideon nodded once more.

* * *

The two senior profilers visited the other two crime scenes with Officer Jones however they didn't collect a whole lot of new evidence, much to their dismay.

"Are you ready to head back to HQ sir?" Officer Jones asked as Gideon and Hotchner walked back over to the SUV.

Gideon nodded. "Yea. I think we've learned everything there is to know about these crime scenes."

Officer Jones nodded and without another word the police officer and the two FBI agents climbed into the SUV and made their way back to the Valley City Police Department. When they arrived Officer Jones went back to work while Gideon and Hotchner rejoined their team in the conference room.

Hotchner shook his head. "Unfortunately no. Everything we learned from the scenes was already in the police reports. All three girls were killed somewhere else, wrapped in red and white checkered blankets, and then moved to the scenes where they were found.

"The bodies of the victims were carefully laid out," Reid said quietly in his lilting, matter-of-fact manner. "That means that the UnSub felt some level of remorse after he killed them."

"So he feels bad about what he's doing," Morgan said. "And yet he continues to do it. Why?"

"That is the million dollar question," Hotchner said.

VALLEY CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 21

The BAU team had been investigating the string of kidnapping turned murders for the past four days and they'd finally come up with a suspect who could be linked to all four of the victims in the case. It had been Reid, with the help of Garcia, who had made the connection between all the children and a local social worker named Marty White.

"Let's pay Mr. White a visit," Hotchner said, gathering together his team along with Chief Conway and several members of the Valley City PD. The group all donned bullet proof vests, the BAU's emblazoned with FBI while the Chief Conway's and the rest of his officers' read Valley City PD. They all covered the Kevlar with windbreakers and then set out for the suspect's house.

When they arrived at Marty White's house Hotchner and Chief Conway took the lead, their weapons drawn, followed behind by the rest of the team. The law enforcement officials made their way across the yard slowly and methodically and when they reached the front door Chief Conway nodded to Hotchner who nodded back before knocking on the door. "FBI! We have a warrant! Open Up!"

After waiting the mandatory length of time Hotchner and Chief Conway gave each other a look before Hotchner kicked in the door. The two lead agents entered the house while the rest of the team fanned out to secure the rest of the perimeter.

Holding his gun out in front of him, Special Agent Spencer Reid made his way around to the back of the house. At first glance the back yard appeared empty however, just as Reid was preparing to declare the scene clear, he heard a strange sound.

The sound of a small child laughing.

Raising his service weapon back up to the ready position Reid carefully made his way toward the sound. As the agent stepped around a large clump of bushes he came upon an unusual sight; a man sitting on a red and white checkered blanket with a small girl sitting across from him.

The man's back was turned toward Reid however the child was facing him and she offered the FBI agent a smile. "Did you come to join our tea party too?"

The man whirled to face Reid, holding up a gun as he did so.

"I'm with the FBI Mr. White," Reid said in a quiet tone of voice. "Put down the weapon and no one has to get hurt."

Marty White made a move like he was going to put down the gun but then he spun around with an agility that Reid wasn't expecting and grabbed the little girl around the waist. "Back off man. Back off or she dies."

Reid instantly picked up on the desperation in the tone of Marty White's voice and he quickly dropped his gun, not wanting to provoke the suspect. "Calm down."

Marty White was nervous and agitated, as was evident by the jerking movements of his hands, one of which held the little girl, the other held the gun.

"You don't want to hurt this little girl," Reid said quietly, hoping to keep the suspect occupied until someone from his team found them. "I know you don't want to hurt her so why don't you let her go?"

"I can't," the man choked out, tightening his grip on the child that he held in his grasp. "If I let her go then she'll get hurt."

"Who's going to hurt her Marty?" Reid asked, confused.

"They were all hurt," Marty said, completely ignoring Reid's question. "I saved them. I only wanted to save them."

At that moment Reid lifted his gaze from Marty White and watched as Morgan and one of the Valley City police officers slowly made their way up behind the suspect.

"Don't move," Morgan warned as he touched the back of the suspect's head with his gun. "FBI. Marty White, you're under arrest."

With surprising strength and agility the suspect elbowed Morgan in his bad knee. The FBI agent fell to the ground and the suspect turned back to Reid, a look of betrayal in his eyes. He released his hold on the child before raising his gun and firing two shots, both of which struck Reid in the chest. The young profiler fell to the ground.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Morgan exclaimed as he tackled the suspect and pulled the gun from his hand.

The bushes rustled as Hotchner, Gideon and the rest of the group ran up to the scene.

"REID!" Gideon exclaimed as he dropped to his knees at the young agent's side.

"I'm. . . okay," Reid gasped as he struggled to sit up.

Gideon pulled the young agent to a sitting position and quickly pulled back his windbreaker, revealing the bullet proof vest that Reid wore. Both rounds were embedded in the vest and Reid slowly pulled one of them free. The young profiler stared down at the bullet that would have ended his life had it not been for the vest.

Chief Conway grabbed Marty White by the arms and as soon as the suspect was pulled away Morgan walked over and knelt down beside Reid and Gideon. "Are you okay kid?"

"I'll live," Reid said, wincing due to the pain in his ribcage. "Although it's going to be uncomfortable to breathe for a little while."

"Come on Reid," Hotchner said, offering the young man his hand. "Let's get you to the hospital to get checked out."

"That's not necessary Hotch," Reid said as he took his boss' hand and allowed Hotchner to pull him to his feet. "I'm fine."

"I know," Hotchner said, his tone firm. "But it's SOP in this situation."

LEARJET

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 22

The BAU team had packed up and left Valley City as soon as Reid was cleared by the emergency room doctor and most of them were now trying to catch some sleep, something they hadn't gotten much of while they'd been working the case.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep Spencer?" Gideon asked as he sat down in a chair across from Reid.

"I'm not really tired," the young man replied. "Than man actually thought he was saving those girls by killing them."

Gideon nodded, knowing that this case would haunt the young profiler for awhile. During his interrogation Marty White had admitted his motive for abducting and murdering the young girls. All four families had been investigated by child protective services on accusations of violence and all had been cleared. White had killed the children to spare them further pain.

"You should get some rest," Gideon said.

"I'll try," Reid said softly.

Gideon got to his feet and, after briefly placing his hand on Reid's shoulder, made his way back up to the front of the jet. With a sigh Reid debated attempting to sleep however deep down he knew that it wasn't going to happen so instead he pulled out his laptop. The young profiler had every intention of emailing Lyssa and telling her that they'd have to cancel their plans however when he logged on he discovered that Lyssa was online.

MYSTIC WOLF: Spencer! I've been waiting to hear from you. How's the case coming along?

FBI PROFILER: We solved the case and because of that a little girl was reunited with her parents.

MYSTIC WOLF: That's wonderful! So that means you'll be coming back home to Virginia right?

FBI PROFILER: We're in the air as we speak.

MYSTIC WOLF: You're coming over later right?

FBI PROFILER: I don't know Lyssa. This case was really rough and I'm tired. I was thinking that I'd go back to my apartment and catch a nap.

MYSTIC WOLF: Come on Spencer. You can sleep at my place. I've really been wanting to see you.

FBI PROFILER: Alright I give. I'll come to your place when we get back.

MYSTIC WOLF: Great! I'm looking forward to seeing you Spencer. See you soon. Love you!

Lyssa logged off her instant messenger at this point, leaving Reid to sit and ponder what she'd written. She'd written 'Love you' and that made Reid's heart pound.

LYSSA'S HOUSE

LATER THAT DAY

When Reid pulled up to Lyssa's house he was surprised to see her standing on the porch awaiting his arrival. He found this extremely odd since he hadn't given her an ETA, he'd just told her that he'd come by when they got back in town.

"Hey Spence!" Lyssa called out as she ran down to the car to meet him. She threw her arms around him in an excited hug. "I missed you."

"Ah!" Reid exclaimed as her body pressed against his sore ribs.

Lyssa immediately released her hold and stared up at him in concern. "What is it Spencer? I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

Reid held up his hands. "It's no big deal. Just a couple of bruised ribs."

"What happened?" Lyssa asked.

"Well to be completely honest with you I was shot," Reid said and watched as her eyes widened. "But I was wearing a vest so I'm only slightly bruised."

"Come inside and you can catch a nap," Lyssa said grabbing him by the hand.

Reid allowed himself to be led into the house, where he stretched out on the sofa although he was fairly certain that his insomnia was back in full force. However, despite Reid's doubts, soon after he lay down on the sofa he was sound asleep.

Lyssa went about her usual household chores while Reid slept however she jumped slightly when her boyfriend sat up on the sofa, screaming. "Spencer!" Lyssa quickly crossed the room and sat down on the sofa, pulling him into her arms. "It's okay Spencer, you're safe."

Reid's breathing gradually slowed as his awareness came back to him and he realized where he was. His first instinct was to pull away from her embrace however that urge passed quickly and Reid allowed Lyssa to hold him.

TBC. . .

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took longer than usual to update but I had some trouble with this chapter. FYI- SOP stands for standard operating procedure and ETA stands for estimated time of arrival I love acronyms!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds.

LYSSA'S HOUSE

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23

Reid's internal alarm clock decided to go off at five o'clock in the morning and the young man jerked awake with a start. Slightly disoriented Reid gazed around the room and then it suddenly dawned on him where he was. Glancing down he saw that Lyssa was sound asleep at his side.

Reid ran his hand through his hair as his thoughts flashed back to exactly how he and Lyssa had ended up in this position. He'd fallen asleep on her sofa the day before however he hadn't slept long before he'd been awakened by a nightmare. He's woken up screaming and had fully expected Lyssa to laugh at him however she'd merely pulled him into an embrace and told him that everything was alright.

Needing someone to talk to Reid had explained to her all of the events that had transpired in North Dakota. Lyssa had listened quietly and then, when he'd finished with his story, she'd held him in a comforting hug and whispered words of comfort in his ear.

That had somehow led to this.

Leaning over Reid gently touched Lyssa on the shoulder. "Lyssa, wake up."

Lyssa's eye lids slowly fluttered open and she smiled up at Reid. "Hey you."

"Hey," Reid said softly as Lyssa sat up and turned to face him. "I have to get back to my apartment and I just thought that I should wake you and tell you that I was leaving."

Lyssa nodded as she glanced over at the clock and saw what time it was. "Do you have to work today Spencer?"

Reid nodded. "I do and they might ask questions if I show up wearing the same clothes that I was wearing yesterday."

"Maybe," Lyssa said with a smile.

Reid leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Thanks for yesterday." With that Reid got to his feet, quickly pulled on his clothes, gathered up this things and left Lyssa's house.

The young man made his way back to his apartment, quickly took a shower, and then dressed for work. This didn't take long since Reid had gotten really good at the rapid shower and dress during his stint in the FBI and it was only six thirty when he finished.

"Ugh," Reid groaned as his gaze shifted to the clock. "Guess I'll go to work early today."

BAU HEADQUARTERS

LATER THAT MORNING

Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner was sitting in his office, working on some case files, when he saw Reid walking across the bullpen area. This struck Hotchner as unusual. He always came to the office early and Gideon did it fairly commonly as well however it was strange for any of the others to do it. Closing the folder that he'd been reading through Hotchner got to his feet and left his office, making his way down into the bullpen.

"Is everything alright Reid?" Hotchner asked as he came to a stop in front of Reid's desk. He gazed down at the younger agent, a look of concern in his dark eyes.

"I'm fine Hotch," Reid replied, his up lifted gaze focused on his boss. "Why do you ask?"

"You're here early," Hotchner said. "I was just curious as to why."

"I woke up early this morning and didn't have anything better to do," Reid replied.

"Alright," Hotchner said. "I was just checking up on you. Since you're alright I'm going to go back to work but if you need to talk feel free to come by."

Reid nodded and watched as Hotchner turned and walked back across the bullpen area, toward the small flight of stairs. The young man shook his head as he opened his top desk drawer and pulled out a file folder embossed with the seal of the FBI. He wasn't even the slightest bit surprised that Hotchner had questioned his early arrival. It was, after all, unusual for him and they all tended to profile one another. An unfortunate side effect of the job that they did. Reid flipped the folder open, hoping that none of the others would come in early. _"If I'm lucky, Hotch will be the only one who questions me today."_

As the morning progressed Reid would think back on that particular thought with a wry laugh, wondering why in the world he'd ever thought he would be lucky. He'd never been lucky in his life and he'd used what little luck he may have accumulated during the incident with Marty White a couple of days ago.

When Morgan arrived at BAU headquarters he noticed that Reid was hard at work and he glanced down at the younger profiler as he walked by. "Working hard there boy genius? Did you get up early this morning just so you could come in and finish your report?" He glanced down at the piece of paper that was on the desk in front of Reid. "If that's the case, you should try a little harder. You don't seem to be going very fast."

Reid shook his head, his pen held over the paper that he was working on. "No Morgan, actually I came in early because I couldn't sleep and there was nothing better for me to be doing. However I am almost finished with this."

"Touchy," Morgan said as continued over to his own desk. "Sorry I asked."

Reid sighed, knowing that he should probably apologize for the way that he'd just spoken to Morgan but quite frankly he was tired of everyone constantly prying into his personal life. Sighing once more he returned to his report.

"Listen kid," Morgan spoke up a little while later. "I'm sorry if what I said earlier upset you. It wasn't my intention. I was just giving you a hard time."

"I know," Reid said, signing his name to his completed report. "And I apologize too. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Oh hey, it's all good," Morgan said with a smile, happy that he and Reid were back on good terms.

Morgan wasn't the only one who noticed that Reid seemed somewhat distracted, his mind not entirely focused on work. Both Jareau and Prentiss paid visits to Gideon's office that day, to voice their concerns about their young colleague.

After the visit from Prentiss, Gideon decided that he should have a word with Reid. If the young man was so distracted that everyone was noticing then he might want to talk about whatever was bothering him. Decision made, Gideon left his office and descended the stairs down into the bullpen. He walked directly over to Reid's desk and gazed down at the younger man. "Come on Reid. You and I are going out for lunch."

Reid opened his mouth to decline the offer but Gideon shook his head and motioned for Reid to get up. "That wasn't really a request Spencer. You and I need to talk."

"Great," Reid thought to himself as he got to his feet and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair. "Now what?"

Reid followed his mentor out of the building, pulling on his coat as he went, and together the two agents traveled to a small sub shop that Gideon frequented. Both men ate in silence for awhile and then Gideon fixed Reid with one of his 'looks'.

"Everyone's worried about you Reid," Gideon said quietly. "Apparently you seemed distracted this morning."

Reid scowled, slightly annoyed that his colleagues had gone to Gideon with their concerns.

"Is there something you'd like to talk about Spencer?" Gideon asked.

Reid had every intention of telling Gideon that everything was fine however when he opened his mouth those were not the words that came out. "I think I messed up Gideon."

Gideon heard the slight tremor in the young man's voice. "What did you mess up?"

Reid took a deep breath, not really wanting to tell this story, however knowing that there could be no going back at this point. Even if he fought against telling Gideon what was wrong his mentor would get the truth from him even thought Reid was a profiler as well. His mentor's skills were legendary and Reid knew that it would be easier just to tell him what had happened. "I went over to Lyssa's house yesterday when we returned from Valley City. I tried to cancel our plans but she managed to talk me into coming. She told me that I could take a nap on the sofa and I did fall asleep however I had a. . . a nightmare and I woke up screaming."

The young profiler paused at this point however Gideon didn't press him for information. He merely waited patiently for Reid to continue.

"I was afraid that she'd laugh at me because of the nightmare," Reid confided to his mentor. "But she didn't. She was understanding and comforting and we. . ."

Reid's voice trailed off once again however Gideon didn't need the young man to complete the sentence. He could tell, from the younger man's facial expression and body language, exactly what had transpired between Reid and Lyssa the night before. "Spencer there's no reason to be embarrassed. . ."

"I. . . I'm not embarrassed," Reid said quickly, although the slight flush that colored his cheeks told the older profiler that the young man was embarrassed about talking about it if not about embarrassed about the actual event. "I'm just afraid that I've messed things up between us."

"Well," Gideon said. "Did she treat you any different this morning?"

"No," Reid replied, not even bothering to ask how Gideon had known that he'd spent the night at Lyssa's house. "No, she was her usual happy self."

"Then Spencer," Gideon said. "Stop worrying about what could happen. No one knows the future, all you can do is live for today. The job we do, the things we see on a regular basis, should have taught you that by now."

Reid thought about his mentor's words for a few minutes before saying quietly, "Thank you Gideon."

Gideon nodded, noticing that the young man appeared more at ease than he had earlier.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

LATER THAT DAY

The work day ended fairly uneventfully and Reid heaved a sigh of relief as he gathered up his things. Thankfully, after talking to Gideon about him, the rest of the BAU team had seen fit to leave him alone. Apparently they trusted Gideon to get to the bottom of his problems.

"See you later boy genius!" Morgan called out as he made his way quickly toward the elevator.

Slightly confused by the hurried pace of normally easy-going Morgan and deciding to give him a little of his own medicine. Reid rushed to catch the elevator that the older profiler had gotten in to. "And just where are you off to in such a hurry?" Reid asked with a mischievous grin.

Morgan couldn't help but smile, knowing that he'd been asking for this for a long time and had brought it upon himself. "If you must know, I have a date."

"Really?" Reid asked, arching a brow. "Who is it this week?"

Morgan cocked his head to one side, a quizzical expression on his handsome face. "Excuse me?"

"Just wanted a name," Reid said, his expression completely unapologetic as he stared at Morgan. "And after all the questions you asked me about Lyssa I think you owe me an answer on this one Morgan."

Morgan thought about that for a couple of minutes before he finally nodded, acknowledging the fact that Reid had a very valid point. "Her name's Danielle. I met her at a club a couple of weeks ago."

Reid twitched a smile, letting Morgan know that he had no intentions of pursuing the matter further. "Now was that so hard?"

Morgan chuckled as the elevator door opened and he and Reid parted ways. Reid exited his place of employment and walked away from the building, debating how he was going to spend his evening. He knew that Lyssa had an evening class on Fridays and he decided to go to Virginia Tech and surprise her.

His decision made Reid left the FBI building. The young profiler stopped at a local florist and then continued on his way to the college campus.

VIRGINIA TECH CAMPUS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23

SEVEN P.M.

Thankful that her class was finally over Lyssa made her way out of the building, looking forward to the fast food supper that she saw in her immediate future. She hadn't had time for lunch and she was starving. "That was so boring and I'm about to starve to death," she thought to herself as she descended the stairs.

"Hey."

Lyssa stopped short as she heard the greeting and her gaze quickly shifted around and found Reid, standing at the bottom of the steps holding a bouquet of pink roses in his hand. Lyssa smiled broadly as she quickly jogged down the remaining stairs and threw her arms around Reid. "What brings you here Spencer?"

"I thought you might like to go out to dinner," Reid said, offering her the flowers, which she took with a smile. "Maybe go see a movie."

"That sounds like fun," Lyssa said, entwining her arm in his. "And it was sweet of you to think of me."

"I think of you all the time," Reid said quietly.

"Aww," Lyssa said, her smile widening. "You are SO sweet Spence."

Reid blushed slightly as he and Lyssa walked away from the building. "So, where would you like to go?"

"You choose this time," Lyssa said. "I always pick."

"Alright," Reid said with a nod. That sounded fair to him. The young man thought for a moment and then suggested that the two of them go out for seafood.

"Sounds good to me," Lyssa said, nodding her head in approval. "There's actually a seafood restaurant within easy walking distance of here. Let's go."

Reid nodded and the couple walked the short distance from the building where they'd met to the seafood restaurant. Once they were seated at a table and had placed their orders Reid turned to Lyssa, a serious expression in his brown eyes. "Lyssa a. . . about what happened last night. . ."

"Do you regret what we did Spencer?" Lyssa asked in a quiet voice, her gaze focused steadily on Reid.

"No," Reid replied. "I just thought you. . ."

"I have no regrets about anything that went on between us," Lyssa said, a soft smile on her lips. "I was a full participant and, the fact that you're here and concerned about how I feel about the situation, proves that I was right about you Spencer Reid. You're not like most men."

Reid gazed over at her and whispered, "I love you."

Lyssa's smile widened. "I love you too Spence."

Lyssa reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his. Reid glanced briefly down at the small hand that didn't quite cover his own, larger one, and then he looked across the small table at Lyssa, his brown gaze meeting her blue one.

"So," Lyssa said casually, determined to prove to Reid that nothing had changed between them or, to be more precise, that if things had changed it was a change for the better. "How was work today?"

Reid briefly thought about the concerns of his colleague's and the talk he'd had with Gideon however he quickly decided to keep both of those things to himself. "Fairly uneventful. I gave Morgan a hard time about his date tonight."

Lyssa shook her head although she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "That wasn't very nice Spencer."

"You have no idea what he's like," Reid said, thinking about the daily torment he endured at the hands of the older agent.

"Oh I don't huh?" Lyssa said, seeming to take Reid's statement as some sort of challenge. "Let's see, he picks on you at work, asks you embarrassing questions. . . he's like the big brother you never had."

Reid opened his mouth to deny that claim however, as he thought about it a little more, he realized that was exactly what their relationship was like. In fact it reminded him a lot of the way Charlie and his older brother Don acted when they were together.

Lyssa smiled, enjoying the fact that she'd accurately read the relationship between the two profilers.

"Lyssa," Reid said after a few moments of silence during which he'd been lost in thought. "Have you ever played laser tag?"

"Can't say that I have," Lyssa replied, slightly confused by the sudden change in topic. "Why do you ask?"

"Remember the Coed Killer case that I told you about?" Reid asked.

Lyssa nodded.

"Well," Reid explained. "We were all so stressed out after that case that Morgan and one of he local FBI agent, Colby, thought we should do something to take our minds off of it. The something that they chose was laser tag and my team won, although I'm still not entirely sure how that happened. Anyway Morgan's wanted a rematch ever since and I thought, if you like to play, we could get a group together and have a match."

"That actually sounds like fun," Lyssa said, imagining the FBI profilers playing laser tag. "We should definitely do it."

Reid nodded. "What do you say to next Friday, if we're not away on a case?"

Lyssa smiled. "It's a date."

REID'S APARTMENT

LATE THAT NIGHT

When Reid arrived back at his apartment he briefly debated going to bed early for a change however, in the end, he decided to see if Charlie was on line and, as luck would have it, he was.

FBI PROFILER: Do you just stay on the computer all the time now?

MATH WHIZ: Hey Spencer! I just leave it on now so I can hear when you IM me.

FBI PROFILER: How thoughtful of you.

MATH WHIZ: I thought so. So how are things going?

FBI PROFILER: Surprisingly well actually. Too well as a matter of fact. I keep waiting for something bad to happen.

MATH WHIZ: Well that's the spirit. Honestly Spencer, you are entirely too pessimistic.

FBI PROFILER: I know but I can't help it. Past experiences have not served to promote optimism.

MATH WHIZ: I understand. So are things still good with Lyssa?

FBI PROFILER: Yes. She and I went out to dinner tonight and I told her about our little laser tag match.

MATH WHIZ: You know Don's still mad about the fact that he lost to us.

FBI PROFILER: Morgan too. That's actually how the subject came up. We were talking about Morgan acting like my big brother and that made me think about the laser tag game.

MATH WHIZ: You know, I never thought about it but he really does act like your big brother.

FBI PROFILER: Yea he kind of does. Anyway I suggested to Lyssa that we get a group together and have a match and she seemed all for it. So I'm going to see if Morgan and Garcia want to join us.

MATH WHIZ: That sounds entertaining. You'll have to let me know how that turns out.

FBI PROFILER: I will

TBC. . .

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds

A/N- It's fun out with the 'family' as Reid, Lyssa and the BAU bunch have a little fun after work. Hope you enjoy this chapter

BAU HEADQUARTERS

MONDAY NOVEMBER 26

The members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit had been working quietly at their desks for awhile when Reid glanced over at the desk that was occupied by one Special Agent Derek Morgan. "Hey Morgan."

Morgan stopped working and glanced up at the younger agent. "What is it kid?"

"Do you have any plans for Friday?" Reid asked.

"Not yet," Morgan replied, somewhat confused by the question. "Why?"

"Well," Reid said slowly. "Lyssa and I were talking about that laser tag game that we played while we were out in L.A. I was telling her that you've been whining about a rematch ever since and then I told her that we should all get together and play."

"Oh," Morgan said. "I'll take a piece of that action. Friday night, you said?"

Reid nodded. "I suggested it to Lyssa, barring any out of town cases."

"Sounds like a plan," Morgan said. "Who else did you have in mind for this little rematch of yours?"

"Garcia for one," Reid said. "She's always trying to get me to go out and have fun and, although I'm fairly sure that laser tag isn't exactly what she had in mind, I figured she might like to play again. She seemed like she enjoyed it the last time. Other than that I haven't thought much about it."

Morgan nodded. "Doesn't really matter who else is in on this little game. All that matters is, you're going down this time boy genius."

Reid twitched a smile but said nothing.

LATER THAT DAY

Reid had just returned to his desk after his lunch break when Hotchner walked across the bullpen and came to a stop beside him. Reid glanced up at his boss, a questioning look in his brown eyes, waiting for Hotchner to say why he'd came.

Hotchner offered Reid a stack of file folders. "Can you run these down to Garcia for me Reid? I need some background information on these people ASAP."

Reid nodded as he grabbed the folders and got to his feet. The young agent quickly made his way down to the office that their digital intelligence officer called home. When he reached the office he knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in."

Reid opened the door and stepped inside the office. Penelope Garcia spun her chair around to face her visitor and she smiled broadly when she saw who it was. "Hey sweet boy. And what can I do for you today?"

Reid held up the file folders that he held in his hands. "Hotch sent me with these. He said he needs background info on these people ASAP."

Garcia nodded as she took the folders from Reid and placed them down on her desk. "He shall have it."

Reid nodded and turned to leave however, after only a few steps, he turned back to Garcia. "Um Garcia. . . did you enjoy that laser tag game that we played out in California?"

Garcia nodded, a smile once again lighting up her pretty face. "Oh yea, that was fun. I especially love the fact that we beat Derek's team. I never miss an opportunity to bring that up and gloat. Why?"

"Lyssa's never played," Reid told her. "And I was telling her about our match and then I suggested that we get together and play. She seemed to like the idea and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to join us? We're going on Friday and Morgan's already agreed to the rematch."

"I'm in," Garcia said without a moment's hesitation.

"That's great," Reid said and with that he opened the door and left the office. After delivering the files for Hotchner Reid made his way back up to his desk in the bullpen area and when he arrived he saw that Morgan was once again seated at his own desk.

"Hey Reid," Morgan said as the younger agent sat down at his desk. "Do you have any objection to the others joining our little game on Friday?"

Reid shook his head. "Not really."

Morgan nodded. "That's good. I was talking to JJ and Emily about it during lunch and they seemed interested. I told them that I'd ask you just to be sure but that they'd more than likely be welcome."

Reid nodded.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30

On the night of the scheduled laser tag game Reid picked Lyssa up at her house and together they drove to the arcade that had been chosen for the game. Morgan had called ahead and reserved one of the laser tag arenas for them, since the place would most likely be crowded on a Friday night, and they were all supposed to meet there at seven o'clock.

"Is this game hard Spence?" Lyssa asked during the drive.

"To be honest with you I'm not that great at it," Reid told her honestly. "Our team won the last time but I think that was mainly because of Garcia. But I'll give you the same advice that she gave me; playing laser tag isn't the same as firing a real gun. It's more like using a computer mouse, just point and click."

Lyssa smiled. "She told you that?"

Reid nodded.

"And did it work?"

"Well," Reid said. "Like I said before we did win but I was too embarrassed to actually look at my individual stats so I'm not sure how much I actually contributed to said victory."

"I see," Lyssa said with a smile.

When Reid pulled in to the parking lot of the Fun and Games Arcade he saw that Morgan was already there waiting for them, accompanied by Garcia, Jareau and Prentiss. Reid parked beside his SUV and he and Lyssa got out of the car.

"Boy genius," Morgan called out as Reid and Lyssa came to stand beside him and the girls. "Are you ready to lose?"

"Not a chance," Garcia answered the question before Reid even had the chance. She walked over and wrapped one arm around Reid's neck and the other around Lyssa's. "We're going to kick your butt sweet cheeks. Count on it."

Morgan scoffed at her confidence. "Not this time Angel. This time I'm going to come out victorious."

"And who exactly made you team leader?" a voice called out from across the parking lot.

Heads turned toward the sound of the voice and the group watched as Hotchner and his wife Haley walked across the parking lot toward the spot where they were standing.

"Hotch?" It was evident by the tone of Reid's voice that he hadn't expected the boss to show up for this little extracurricular activity.

Hotchner offered his young subordinate one of his rare smiles. "Come on Spencer, you didn't think you could do something like this without me now did you?"

Reid shrugged and nodded in the direction of Mrs. Hotchner.

Hotchner turned back to his wife and motioned toward Lyssa, who was standing beside Reid. "Haley, this is Reid's girlfriend Lyssa Knight. Lyssa, this is my wife Haley."

"Pleased to meet you," Haley said, offering the younger woman a friendly smile.

"Same here," Lyssa said with a smile.

"Well," Haley said. "This should be entertaining."

"Aren't you playing?" Lyssa asked.

Haley shook her head. "No, I came to offer Aaron moral support just in case he loses to Spencer again."

"That's not gonna happen," both Hotchner and Morgan said in one voice.

"Uh huh," Haley said, not sounding convinced.

"Um guys," Reid said. "We haven't even chosen teams yet."

"Doesn't matter," Haley said, gesturing toward her husband, a former SWAT member, and Morgan, formerly of ATF. "They're both determined to beat you and Penelope which puts them on one team and you guys on another."

Reid shook his head but didn't say anything.

"Am I late?"

"Gideon?" This time no one missed the shock in Reid's voice.

"You're right on time," Hotchner said. "Now that we're all here shall we?"

Morgan nodded and led the way toward the arcade, followed by the others. Reid and Lyssa remained at the tail end of the pack and Reid couldn't help but shake his head. "Somehow I have the feeling that our friendly little game has turned into something much more."

Lyssa smiled. "Your colleagues are fun."

When the group went inside the building they were quickly led back to the arena that Morgan had reserved and given vests and guns. As they were all donning their gear Lyssa noticed that Morgan had pulled on a baseball cap with the letters FBI on the front and he was quickly copied by the others.

"Here," Hotchner said, walking over to the spot where Lyssa and Reid were standing and offering Lyssa a baseball cap. "Wouldn't want you to feel left out." Then he handed one to Reid, whom he knew didn't already have one and, with a soft chuckle at the surprised expression on their faces, turned and walked away.

"Cool," Lyssa said as she pulled on the cap.

Reid smiled. "Maybe you really should apply to the FBI."

"Hmm."

"Alright," Jareau said once everyone was wearing their gear. "So who are the team leaders?"

"Hotch and boy genius," Morgan replied immediately.

"Okay," Jareau said. "That was easy enough. Are we picking teams like last time?"

"Sure," Hotch said. "Everyone pick a leader, keeping in mind that there can only be four to a team."

Reid was immediately surrounded by women as Lyssa, Garcia and Jareau quickly assembled at his side.

"Just like last time," Garcia said with a wide grin as she wrapped her arm around Reid's shoulder. "With Lyssa filling in for Charlie." The computer tech turned to Lyssa. "Are you a nerd?"

Lyssa was slightly confused by this question. "I beg your pardon?"

"Our team was comprised of a bunch of, quote unquote, nerds the last time," Jareau explained. "Garcia was just wondering if you fit in."

"Well I am a gamer," Lyssa replied with a smile. "As well as a certified anime freak so, yeah I'd say I'm a nerd."

"Alright," Garcia exclaimed. "Nerd power!"

Reid simply shook his head.

"We are not losing to them again," Morgan said to Hotchner as the two groups entered the arena.

* * *

"I can't believe we lost to them again!" Morgan moaned as the group got together for pizza after the laser tag match.

"I told you that you didn't stand a chance," Garcia said as she gave Morgan what was meant to be a comforting hug.

"I think you guys cheated," Morgan protested as he picked up a slice of pizza.

"You're just a sore loser," Jareau told him with a smile. "And Lyssa is just awesome."

Lyssa couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she thought about Jareau's comment. They'd actually checked their individual stats at the end of the game and she'd scored the most hits, followed closely behind by Hotchner and then Garcia and Morgan had been tied for third.

"I thought you said you'd never played?" Morgan said.

"I hadn't," Lyssa said. "But Spence gave me some good advice before we came. Apparently it's not like shooting a real gun. More like using a computer mouse, just point and click. I told you guys that I was a gamer."

Garcia smiled as she heard her advice repeated. That was the same advice that she'd given Reid before the first laser tag, in LA.

"Well we should probably get back home," Hotchner said as he and Haley got to their feet. "We left Jack with Haley's mother and she's probably thinking that we got lost or kidnapped or something."

Everyone nodded and bid their boss goodnight.

"Oh wait," Lyssa called out when Hotchner and Haley were almost to the door. She jumped to her feet and jogged over to the spot where they'd paused and offered Hotchner the baseball cap that he'd given her for the game earlier. "Here."

Hotchner waved his hand. "Keep it as a souvenir."

"Thank you," Lyssa said softly as she watched them leave.

* * *

The rest of the group hung out for a little while longer and then they parted ways. Reid and Lyssa were the last to leave and as they drove back toward her house Lyssa talked about how much fun she'd had with Reid's 'family'. Reid smiled softly to himself as he heard her describe his colleagues in that way and as he thought about her words he realized that they were true. Apart from his mother, who lived in Nevada and whom he saw once a year, the members of the BAU were the only family that he had.

"Your family is really fun," Lyssa told him as she got out of his car at her house. "We'll have to do this again sometime."

"We will," Reid said. "Good night."

"Love you," Lyssa called out as she closed the door.

"Love you too," Reid whispered although he knew that with the car door closed there was no way that she'd be able to hear him.

Reid drove back to his apartment and turned on his computer. This time there was no doubt that Charlie would be online since the two of them had prearranged this chat the last time they'd spoken to one another.

FBI PROFILER: Game over.

MATH WHIZ: Oh yea? How'd it go?

FBI PROFILER: My team was victorious once again. And Lyssa's really good at the game.

MATH WHIZ: Bet that made Morgan's night.

FBI PROFILER: He and Hotch are already planning the rematch. Apparently this is going to become a routine occurrence, at least until they win.

MATH WHIZ: Well if it gets tedious you could always let them win.

FBI PROFILER: Not as long as I have Garcia and Lyssa on my team. Those two are relentless.

MATH WHIZ: Not exactly a bad trait although it doesn't help your situation any.

FBI PROFILER: Oh well, I'm sure it could be worse.

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this latest installment.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds

A/N- Hope you enjoy this installment.

REID'S APARTMENT

SATURDAY DECEMBER 1

FBI PROFILER: I could really use your help with something Charlie. I need some advice.

MATH WHIZ: What's up my friend?

FBI PROFILER: Well, Lyssa's birthday is Tuesday and I wanted to throw a party for her. She doesn't have any family close by and she grew up in foster care so I'd wager that it's been a long time since she's had one, if in fact she's ever had one.

MATH WHIZ: That's really nice of you Spencer.

FBI PROFILER: You don't think it's a bad idea?

MATH WHIZ: Of course it's not a bad idea. What did you have in mind?

FBI PROFILER: Lyssa's into all things Japanese so I thought I'd take her out to a Japanese steakhouse and afterward, well that's the part I'm having trouble with.

MATH WHIZ: You could always have a little party in the park afterward. They're for public use and she likes the outdoors right? Just put up some pretty decorations, maybe get her a little cake. You could have some of your friends in the BAU help you out

FBI PROFILER: That's a really good idea Charlie. Thanks.

MATH WHIZ: No problem Spencer. Always glad to help.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

MONDAY DECEMBER 3

When Reid arrived at the office on Monday morning, running a little late owing to the fact that on the one night he'd actually managed to get sleep his alarm had decided not to go off, he quickly threw his things under his desk. Then, after checking to make sure that Hotchner was nowhere to be found, the young agent made his way down to the office of Penelope Garcia. When he reached the small office he knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter o seeker of knowledge," a voice called out from within.

With a small smile on his face Reid opened the door and stepped inside the office.

"Hey sweet boy," Garcia said as she spun around in her chair to face him. "Welcome to the office of omnipitence. How may I be of service today?"

"I. . . um. . . I was actually wondering if you could do me a favor tomorrow night Garcia," Reid stuttered nervously, his gaze downcast. "If you're not busy of course."

"What do you need?" Garcia asked, a curious look in her eyes.

"I want to throw a surprise party for Lyssa," Reid confided to the digital intelligence officer. "And I need some help with the set up."

"I'm in," Garcia said quickly. "And I'm sure the others would like to come to. They all seem to really like your girl Spencer."

Reid blushed. "Thanks Garcia. I'm going to take Lyssa out for Japanese tomorrow night and then to the park for a little celebration."

Garcia nodded, a smile on her face. "Leave the planning to me sweetness. We'll give your girl a party that she'll never forget."

"Thanks," Reid said once again but before he could go any further with his words of gratitude there came another knock on the door and, a few seconds later it opened to reveal Hotchner. "We're having a meeting in the conference room and I need the whole team." Hotchner paused at this point, his gaze focused on Reid. "What are you doing down here?"

"I was going to get him to deliver these reports to you sir," Garcia said, always slightly more professional when speaking to Hotchner, offering him a stack of file folders. "But since you're here now I guess I can deliver them personally."

"Alright," Hotchner said, accepting the folders and turning back toward the door. "Upstairs in ten minutes."

Reid mouthed the words 'thank you' behind Hotchner's back and then turned to follow his boss out of Garcia's small office. Chuckling softly to herself the BAU's computer tech got to her feet and left her office a few steps behind the others.

"Man," Reid thought to himself as he followed Hotchner back upstairs. "I really hope we haven't caught a new case. Now is not a good time."

Within ten minutes the members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit had assembled in the conference room and as soon as they were all seated Hotchner addressed the group. "I just called this meeting to remind everyone that you have a month to get your yearly physical and psych eval completed in order to stay eligible for active duty. The sooner everyone does this the better."

There was a collective groan issued from the entire group as this was never a pleasant experience.

"Sorry guys," Hotchner said. "Not my rules."

"Can't believe that was what this 'important meeting' was about," Morgan muttered to himself as he got to his feet to leave the conference room. "Couldn't he have just told us that individually at our desks?"

"He could have," Jareau said with a smile. "But what fun would that have been?"

"What are you talking about?" Prentiss wanted to know. "What does fun have to do with it? Hotch doesn't have a sense of humor."

"You're wrong," Reid said quietly, still seated at the conference table. "Hotch has a sense of humor, it's just usually MIA."

"I heard that," Hotchner called out from the hall way just outside the conference room.

Everyone quickly scrambled to their feet and filed out of the room, no one making eye contact with the leader of the BAU. No one, that is, except for Gideon. He paused at Hotchner's side and gazed into the younger agent's dark eyes. "Prentiss asked me a question a while back and I'd like to pass it on to you."

"And what might that be?" Hotchner asked.

"Do you ever feel like a high school principal?"

"All the time," Hotchner replied.

"I thought as much," Gideon said with a smile. "I used to get that feeling a lot. Now I feel more like the guidance counselor."

Hotchner twitched a smile as he gazed at the former leader of the BAU. "You fit that role really well Jason."

REID'S APARTMENT

LATER THAT DAY

As soon as Reid arrived back home from work he immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed Lyssa's cell number. The young man listened to the ring tone, hoping that Lyssa would answer and that she didn't already have plans for tomorrow night.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lyssa, it's Spencer."

"Spence! What are you up to?"

"Just got home from work. Listen, I just called to ask you whether or not you had plans for tomorrow night?"

"No. I figured I'd spend the night doing homework or something equally as boring."

"In that case, cancel those plans. How would you like to go out to dinner with me instead?"

"That sounds like fun. Where are we going?"

"That is a surprise. You'll find out tomorrow. I'll pick you up around five if that's alright with you."

"Works for me. It's a date."

"Well I'll see you then. Love you."

"Love you too Spence."

Reid flipped his phone closed and heaved a sigh. He wasn't used to being the decision maker in this relationship however he really cared for Lyssa and he wanted her birthday to be really special. "Please don't let me mess this up."

LYSSA'S HOUSE

TUESDAY DECEMBER 4

It was almost five o'clock and Lyssa groaned to herself as she rushed around her house, trying desperately to finish getting ready before Reid arrived to pick her up for their date. As always, Shiro-chan was running around behind her, trying in his own way to help her out.

"Calm down Shiro," Lyssa said, momentarily ceasing her mad dash to turn around and smile at her little dog. "I appreciate the gesture but I really don't need your help."

The little white dog sat down and cocked his head to one side. The he jumped to his feet and ran to the door, his tail wagging furiously. Moments later the doorbell rang. Pinning back a stray lock of her chestnut hair, Lyssa walked over to the door and opened it.

"Happy birthday," Reid said as he offered her a bouquet of red roses in a crystal vase.

"Thank you," Lyssa said softly as she accepted the flowers and motioned for him to come in to the house.

Reid stepped through the door, leaning down as he did so to give the dog a pat on the head. "Hey Shiro-chan."

Lyssa closed the door and placed the flowers on her coffee table before turning to offer Reid a broad smile. "So are you going to tell me what exactly we're doing tonight?"

"In due time," Reid said, pulling a small, gift-wrapped box from the inside pocket of his sport coat. He blushed slightly as he offered her the little box. "This is for you also."

Speechless, Lyssa accepted the tiny box and, with shaking hands, slowly untied the bow that was holding the box closed. Once the ribbon had been removed Lyssa pulled the lid off the box and gasped as her gaze fell upon a tennis bracelet comprised of small, blue stones. "They're topaz," Lyssa said as she picked up the bracelet and gazed at it more closely. "My birthstone."

"I-I hope you like it," Reid said, attempting to gauge her reaction to his gift.

"I love it," Lyssa said, tears forming in her vivid blue eyes as she threw her arms around him. "Thank you SO much Spencer."

"You're welcome," Reid said as he returned her hug. "Are you ready for dinner?"

"Almost," Lyssa said as she fastened the bracelet around her slender wrist. "There, now we can go."

Reid twitched a smile and led the way out to his car. He opened the passenger's side door, waited for Lyssa to get inside the car, and then closed the door. Then he quickly walked around to his side of the car, got inside and turned the key.

"So where are we going?" Lyssa asked once again.

"You'll see when we get there," was all that Reid would tell her.

"Aww you're no fun," Lyssa said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, if you don't wanna tell me then I don't wanna know.

Reid simply smiled, her attempt at reverse psychology not affecting him in the slightest. The car ride to the restaurant was fairly silent although it wasn't an awkward silence, more of a companionable atmosphere. That is until Reid pulled in to the parking lot that he'd chosen. At that point Lyssa let out an excited squeal as she turned to her boyfriend. "How did you know?"

"Profiler," Reid said simply, something resembling a smirk appearing on his boyishly handsome face. "The way your house is decorated, the huge collection of anime DVDs that you own, not to mention the fact that your dog's name is Shiro-chan. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that you really like the Japanese culture so it wasn't a huge leap to assume that you'd also like their food."

"That's why you're the smart one," Lyssa said as she got out of the car.

"Hmm," Reid said as he met her at the front of the car and offered her his arm. Lyssa wrapped her arm around his and together they entered the restaurant, Lyssa unable to keep the smile off of her face. This had to be the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her and she was deeply touched.

* * *

Lyssa and Reid enjoyed a quiet dinner together and then Reid led the way back out to the car. "I'll be sad to see this night end," Lyssa said in a quiet voice as Reid got into the driver's side of the car.

"You aren't ready to go home yet are you?" Reid asked, a mischievous grin on his face. "We still have one more stop to make."

"Where?" Lyssa asked, curious.

Reid merely shook his head as he pulled out of the parking lot. He had no intentions of telling her their destination and after the ride to the restaurant Lyssa knew that she wouldn't be able to get the information out of him so she merely waited patiently. More or less.

Reid smiled as he watched Lyssa fidgeting in her chair out of the corner of his eye. This was turning out better than he could have imagined and he could only hope that Garcia would come through with her end of the night's festivities as planned.

"The park?" Lyssa asked as Reid pulled in to a parking space in front of a deserted public park.

Reid nodded as he turned off the engine and got out of the car. Confused Lyssa followed suit, getting out of the car and walking around to the spot where Reid stood. She gazed up at him with a questioning look in her blue eyes and he smiled down at her. "I thought we could take a stroll around the park."

"Alright," Lyssa said, pulling her jacket closed and linking her arm in his.

Reid led the way across the park to one of the covered picnic areas, which was illuminated with colored lights. "I wonder what's going on over there?" Lyssa wondered out loud as she gazed over at the lights.

"Let's go see," Reid suggested, stepping off the path and cutting across the grass toward the picnic area.

"Spencer!" Lyssa said. "We can't do that!"

"Sure we can," Reid said. "You said you wanted to know what was going on. Come on and we'll see."

This said Reid proceeded to drag Lyssa across the lawn toward the illuminated picnic area. And when they were within a few feet a bunch of people jumped from behind the benches and yelled, "SURPRISE!"

Lyssa jumped, not having been expecting this, and Reid was also surprised by the number of people who were standing under the multi-colored lights. There was Garcia and Morgan, whom Reid had known would be there, as well as Prentiss, Jareau, Gideon and Hotchner, Haley and their son Jack.

"Happy birthday," Garcia said as she walked over and placed a hat on top of Lyssa's chestnut hair.

"Thank you," Lyssa said softly as she gazed around at the decorations. Now that she was closer she saw that the multi-colored lights were actually Japanese paper lanterns and the streamers and banner that had been hung from the rafters actually had little anime characters all over them.

"You like?" Garcia asked, as she forced a matching birthday hat onto Reid's hair, completely ignoring his protests. "I made them myself."

"I do like," Lyssa said, tears once again appearing in her vivid blue eyes. She pulled Garcia in to a hug "Thank you so much."

"Well come on," Garcia said, pulling away from the younger woman and taking her by the hand. "We have cake and I promised Derek that he could have some since I forced him to help me with the set up."

"Alright," Lyssa said with a smile, allowing Garcia to lead her over to the picnic table where a cake had been set out along with chips and sodas. "Thank you guys so much."

"You're welcome," Morgan said, offering her one of his famous smiles as he began to light the candles that were already in the cake.

Reid came to stand beside Lyssa and he whispered in her ear, "Make a wish."

_"I wish this could last forever," _Lyssa thought to herself as she blew out the candles.

TBC. . .


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds

LYSSA'S HOUSE

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23

Reid and Lyssa had just finished dinner and Reid was in the kitchen, washing the few dishes that the two of them had used. This wasn't at all unusual, the young man always did the cleaning when the two of them had dinner at Lyssa's house. He viewed it as only fair that he do the cleaning seeing as she always did the cooking.

When he finished with the clean-up Reid made his way in to the living room where Lyssa was sitting on the sofa with her little white dog. Lyssa didn't immediately realize that Reid had entered the room and as he walked toward her he picked up on the fact that she looked somewhat depressed. This wasn't an altogether new occurrence; Reid had noticed that his girlfriend had seemed down for the last couple of weeks however Lyssa hadn't brought up the subject and had been attempting to hide this fact from him.

"Are you okay Lyssa?" Reid asked in a quiet voice as he sat down on the sofa beside her.

"I'm fine," Lyssa replied quickly, too quickly.

"Please tell me what's wrong," Reid pleaded, gazing at her with a concerned expression in his brown eyes.

"There's nothing to tell," Lyssa maintained, looking away and refusing to make eye contact with him.

"I know that's not true," Reid said, clearly reading the signals that told him that something was wrong with her. "You've been acting weird for a couple of weeks and I'm worried. Please talk to me."

"Look I said it's nothing," Lyssa snapped, turning to glare at him, her blue eyes flashing fire. "Could you just drop it Spencer? I don't need you to profile me."

Realizing that he'd inadvertently upset her, Reid held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I-I'm sorry Lyssa. I didn't mean to upset you."

Lyssa shook her head, the angry expression that her eyes had held a few moments before now replaced with one of guilt. "You don't have to apologize. Don't worry about it Spencer. You know, I don't think that I'm going to be very good company tonight and I'd kinda like to be alone."

Reid nodded, taking the hint. He got to his feet and gazed down at her. "Is it okay if I call you tomorrow?"

Lyssa nodded, offering Reid a forced and half-hearted smile. "Yea Spencer, I'd like that."

"Alright. I'll call you." With that Reid turned and began to walk toward the door however he paused as he heard Lyssa call out softly, "I love you Spencer."

Pausing for one brief moment Reid turned back to her, a sad look in his brown eyes. "I love you too Lyssa." Reid then turned and walked the couple of feet that separated him from the front door. Reid quickly left the house and walked across the front yard to his car where he stopped to gaze back at the house. Something was definitely wrong with Lyssa but even with all of his training as a profiler Reid was unable to put his finger on exactly what it was.

* * *

Lyssa listened to the sound of the car's engine as Reid left her house. She'd hurt his feelings, she knew this for a fact, and this knowledge only added to a mental burden that was almost too much for her to bare. Finally succumbing to the tears that had been threatening to fall for most of the day, Lyssa curled up into a ball on her sofa and sobbed.

The little white dog, Shiro-chan, whimpered and pressed his nose up against her arm.

The tears didn't lessen as Lyssa wrapped her arms around Shiro-chan and held him in a tight embrace. "I don't know what to do Shiro-chan. I love Spencer but. . ."

Lyssa's voice broke as her thoughts flashed back to the one thing that she was trying so desperately to forget.

* * *

After leaving his girlfriend's house Reid made his way back to his own apartment and when he arrived he immediately set up his laptop computer. He needed someone to talk to and he could only hope that his friend was currently on line.

FBI PROFILER: Do you have time to talk Charlie?

MATH WHIZ: I always have time for you Spencer. What's the problem?

FBI PROFILER: It's Lyssa.

MATH WHIZ: Trouble in paradise?

FBI PROFILER: She's been acting strange for a couple of weeks, like she's depressed, but she won't tell me what's wrong and even with all my knowledge about profiling I can't figure out what's bothering her.

MATH WHIZ: I'm sorry Spencer but I don't think that I'm the best person to be getting advice about this kind of situation from. Maybe one of your colleagues at the BAU would be more suitable to have this conversation with.

FBI PROFILER: It's okay Charlie. I just needed to talk to someone, I wasn't really looking for advice.

MATH WHIZ: I see. Well are you doing okay?

FBI PROFILER: Actually I'm really worried about her. In all the time that I've known Lyssa she's always been so happy and outgoing but lately she's been like a completely different person.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

THURSDAY JANUARY 24

When Reid arrived at the BAU headquarters for work the next day he was there in body only. His mind was still focused on the problem concerning Lyssa and he was racking his brain in an attempt to come up with a solution when he didn't even know what the problem was.

"REID!"

Reid immediately snapped out of his thoughts and gazed up at Hotchner, who looked somewhat annoyed. "Sorry sir. What were you saying?"

"Meeting in the conference room," Hotchner informed his young subordinate, his right eyebrow raised a small degree as he gazed down at the younger man. "Listen Reid is there something going on that you'd like to talk about?"

Reid shook his head. "No sir. I just zoned out there for a minute. I apologize."

This said, Reid quickly got to his feet and made his way to the stairs that led up to the small landing that housed the conference room. He had absolutely no desire to go into the details of his relationship issues with his boss.

"Are you okay boy genius?" Morgan asked as Reid fell into the chair beside him at the conference table. There was a concerned look on Morgan's face that Reid didn't want to see. He absolutely hated the fact that his colleagues could always tell when something was bothering him.

"I'm fine," Reid replied, attempting to hide his mental anguish from his 'big brother'.

"Sure," Morgan said, not the slightest bit convinced that the kid was telling him the truth but deciding not to press the issue.

"Alright guys," Hotchner said as he entered the conference room and closed the door behind himself. "The local PD in Jackson Mississippi have requested our assistance with a series of kidnappings. The first two ransoms were paid by the families however the victims were killed anyway. Now a third victim has been taken and this time it's the daughter of the mayor. No one has any idea about who the kidnapper or kidnappers could be. Wheel's are up in twenty."

This said, Hotchner left the room to finish up some last minute paper work before the team departed for Mississippi, leaving the rest of the BAU to quickly gather up their things for the trip. Still somewhat preoccupied by his thoughts about Lyssa, Reid misjudged the distance between himself and his desk and as a result he bumped his head on the corner as he bent down to grab his ready bag.

"Oww!" the young genius exclaimed, rubbing his head and feeling like an idiot.

"Are you sure you're okay kid?" Morgan asked, focusing a scrutinizing gaze on the young agent.

"Wonderful," Reid replied, his voice simply dripping with sarcasm.

"You know, it's a good thing that our psych evals were last month," Morgan said in a thoughtful voice. "Cause I don't think you'd be able to pass yours at the moment."

"Failing that would be just great," Reid muttered, hoping that what he was about to say would succeed in taking Morgan's mind off his lack of focus. "I'm lucky I survived my physical fitness eval. I absolutely hate the obstacle course. I'm still having nightmares about it."

"Oh come on," Morgan said, taking the bait and changing topics. "It's fun."

"For you maybe," Reid said, rolling his eyes in the direction of his colleague. He knew this was completely childish but at the moment he really didn't care. "You were a jock in high school and college. I never was. I considered it a small miracle when I managed to make it into the FBI's training academy in the first place."

* * *

Less than a half an hour later the members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit were on board a Learjet bound for Jackson Mississippi. Each of the team members had been given a folder containing all the pertinent information about the case and they were each skimming through the contents before Hotchner called an official team meeting. Typically Reid was the first to finish reading the report, which he instantly memorized due to his eidetic memory, and when he completed this task the young agent pulled out his laptop. While he waited for the others to finish with the report, Reid quickly drafted an email to Lyssa.

**Lyssa. We caught another case and I have to go to Mississippi. I don't know when I'll have time to call you but if you need anything you can call me. I'll do my best to make time for you. Spencer.**

"Alright guys," Hotchner called out, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Let's go over what we know about the case, see if we can sort a few things out before we arrived in Jackson."

"Well," Morgan said, his eyes briefly returning to the open folder that he held in his hands. "We know that all three victims are female and all are from wealthy families. They also all attend the same private academy, Wellington Prep."

"The ransom notes were typed on a computer and give basic information about the victims and demands for a ransom," Prentiss said. "The same amount in all three cases; one million dollars."

"The first two victims were killed once the ransom was received," Hotchner said, his tone serious. "This suggests a certain level of organization and intelligence from our UnSub. He wants to make sure that no one can link him to the kidnappings so he kills his victims once his demands have been met."

LEARJET

THURSDAY JANUARY 31

The pieces of the puzzle had finally fallen in to place and the members of the BAU were able to lead the local law enforcement officers to the UnSub responsible for abducting the three girls. Their arrival came not a moment too soon for the third victim, the mayor's daughter. The UnSub had been on the verge of murdering her when his front door was kicked in by Morgan. Thankfully the UnSub had been taken into custody without incident and now the members of the BAU were on board a Learjet bound for home.

Everyone on the team was exhausted, having been working sixteen hour days, and most of them were lounging around either asleep or close to it. The only one who seemed to be wide awake was Dr. Spencer Reid. Reid was just as exhausted as his colleagues however now that the pressures of the case had been lifted the young agent found that his thoughts were once again occupied by his concern for Lyssa. He hadn't had the opportunity to call her since the BAU had been assigned the kidnapping case and he found himself hoping that she was okay.

"Spencer, are you alright?"

Pulled from his thoughts by the soft voice Reid glanced up and saw Gideon standing in the aisle. Startled by the question the young man nevertheless managed a nod.

Not convinced that Reid was telling him the truth Gideon sat down in the chair across from his young colleague and gazed over at him intently.

"I know what you're thinking Gideon," Reid said in a quiet voice, hoping that this would be a quiet conversation. "And you're wrong."

"Really?" Gideon asked, his tone not the slightest bit condescending. "And what am I thinking Spencer?"

"You're thinking that something is bothering me," Reid told Gideon. "You're thinking that I've been distracted from my work because something is wrong and that's not the truth."

Gideon nodded, knowing that something was indeed wrong with the young man but realizing that Reid wasn't going to tell him what it was. "Well, if you do need to talk about anything you know you can come to me right Spencer?"

Reid nodded.

"Alright," Gideon said, getting to his feet and returning to the seat that he'd occupied earlier.

REID'S APARTMENT

THURSDAY JANUARY 31

As soon as Reid arrived back home he pulled out his laptop and immediately checked his email. He had a couple of new emails, one of which was from Charlie, the other from Lyssa. Reid opened the email from his best friend first.

**Spencer. Send me an email as soon as you get back to Virginia. Charlie.**

"I wonder what exactly Charlie wants," Reid thought to himself as he moved on to the email from his girlfriend.

**Spence. I'm really, really sorry about what happened the other day and I'd really like to make it up to you. Please give me a call when you get back to Virginia, no matter what time it is. Love, Lyssa.**

"That seems really strange," Reid thought to himself as he closed the email from Lyssa. The young man pulled his cell phone from his pocket, flipped it open and quickly dialed Lyssa's number.

"Spence!" Lyssa's voice exclaimed over the phone. "You're back?"

"I'm back," Reid said quietly.

"Listen Spence," Lyssa said. "I'm really sorry about the other day and I'd like to make it up to you. Would you like to come over to my place for dinner?"

"That sounds nice."

"Good. I can have dinner ready by seven but you can come over whenever you're ready."

"I'll be there in a little while."

"Alright. Love you Spence."

"I love you too, Lyssa."

Reid flipped his phone closed and placed it back in his pocket. He briefly debated emailing Charlie however he decided that it could wait until after his dinner with Lyssa. The young man took a quick shower and then left his apartment.

* * *

When Reid arrived at Lyssa's house he quickly got out of his car and made his way across the yard to the house. The young man knocked lightly on the door and then stepped back. Moments later the door opened and Lyssa motioned for Reid to come inside. The young man obliged and as soon as he was over the threshold Lyssa threw her arms around him.

"I missed you," Lyssa said, pulling away from Reid after giving him a quick kiss.

"I missed you too," Reid said, slightly shocked by her behavior. Lyssa was acting like her old self again and Reid was curious as to what exactly had happened to her while he'd been gone. However, curious thought he definitely was, he had no intentions of asking her what was going on. He still hadn't recovered fully from the last time.

"Dinner's almost ready," Lyssa said, giving him another quick hug and a kiss. "You can go in to the den and play with Shiro-chan while I finish up if you want."

"Alright," Reid said and made his way in to the den while Lyssa returned to the kitchen. "Hey Shiro," he said to the little white dog who was lying on the sofa. The dog raised his head and barked once, as if in greeting. Reid sat down on the sofa beside Shiro-chan and absently ran his hand through the pup's silky fur and as he did Reid thought about Lyssa. It appeared that she had worked through whatever problems she'd had the last time Reid had seen her, which was a good thing for her, but Reid was still curious about what had caused the personality change.

Reid was still lost in thought when Lyssa sat down on the sofa beside him. She glanced down at Reid's hand, which was still buried in the dog's fur, and smiled. "You and Shiro-chan seem to be bonding quite nicely. And you thought that he wouldn't like me."

Reid chuckled softly to himself. She never missed an opportunity to remind him that he'd been afraid that the dog would hate him. "You were right and I was wrong. There I said it. Now are you happy?"

Lyssa smiled softly and nodded. "Yea I'm happy."

Reid heard something almost wistful in her voice but before he could ask her about it Lyssa abruptly grabbed him by the hand and jumped to her feet, pulling him along with her. "Come on Spencer, let's eat."

Reid sighed as he allowed Lyssa to lead him in the direction of the dining room. There was still something troubling Lyssa, she was just trying harder to hide it from him. "Are you doing alright Lyssa?" he asked in a quiet voice as the two of them sat down at the dinner table.

"I'm fine," Lyssa replied casually, offering Reid a reassuring smile. "Don't worry so much Spence."

Reid didn't look convinced however he allowed the subject to drop, not willing to upset her by pressing the issue.

TBC. . .

A/N- Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds

LYSSA'S HOUSE

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 1

The shades covering Lyssa's bedroom window hadn't been closed the night before and Reid awoke to the warm feeling of the sun on his face. Shielding his eyes with one hand Reid glanced over at the clock that was on the nightstand and when his brain registered what time it was he sat up quickly, a horrified expression on his face. Eight o'clock. He should have been at work an hour ago. Reid couldn't believe that he'd overslept. That never happened to him.

"Oh no!" Reid exclaimed as he jumped out of bed and began quickly pulling on his clothes.

"What's wrong Spence?" Lyssa asked in a groggy voice as she watched him get dressed.

"I'm late for work," Reid replied as he hurriedly gathered up his things. "And Hotch is going to be furious."

"I'm so sorry," Lyssa said, now wide awake and gazing at him with an apologetic look in her blue eyes. "I should have thought to set an alarm."

"It's not your fault," Reid told her, momentarily ceasing his frantic scurrying to lean over and give her a kiss. He thought about the night before. "And it's not like we planned any of this. Don't worry, it'll be okay."

Lyssa nodded. "There's some clean clothes in the laundry room. You left them here the last time and I washed them for you."

"Thanks," Reid said gratefully. He hadn't been relishing the thought of wearing the same clothes that he'd had on yesterday as he was fairly certain that his very observant colleagues would notice. Reid left the bedroom and made his way to the laundry room. He found the clothes that Lyssa had been talking about and quickly changed into them. Then he rushed back into the bedroom to tell Lyssa goodbye.

Reid leaned over and gave Lyssa a kiss. "I'll give you a call after work."

"Alright," Lyssa said. "Love you."

"I love you too."

Reid quickly left his girlfriend's house and headed in the direction of Quantico however, despite the fact that he was already an hour late, Reid didn't drive any faster than the speed limit. He had no desire to get into an accident or get pulled over for speeding.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

LATER THAT MORNING

When Reid arrived at the FBI training facility he practically sprinted all the way up to the floor that housed the BAU and when he arrived, slightly out of breath, he saw that all of the desks were unoccupied. That could mean only one thing; Hotchner had called the team up to the conference room for a meeting and that meant that Reid's day just got ten times worse.

The young agent stashed his messenger bag under his desk and then quickly made his way to the conference room. After pausing at the door for the briefest of moments Reid warily opened the door and stepped inside the conference room. All eyes were immediately focused on him and Hotchner said, "Nice of you to finally join us Reid."

"Sorry sir," Reid said, his gaze downcast. "My alarm didn't go off."

"I'll overlook it this time," Hotchner said, his countenance no more stern than usual. "Try not to let it happen again in the future."

"Yes sir," Reid said with a nod.

Now that the confrontation with his boss was over Reid lifted his gaze and surveyed the room before taking a seat and he was shocked to see Special Agent Don Eppes sitting at the table beside Gideon.

"Hey Spencer," Don said as the young agent sat down in his usual spot beside Morgan. "Long time, no see."

Reid nodded. The last time he'd seen Charlie's brother had been when the BAU had helped him track down a serial killer out in LA. The young agent arched a brow, a curious expression on his face. "What exactly are you doing here Don?"

It was Hotchner and not Don who answered that question. "Agent Eppes and his team are on the trail of a group of terrorists," the Agent in Charge told his young subordinate. "And the trail led them here."

"So the higher ups decided that we should work with the BAU to track them down," Don said. "We're pretty sure that they're in D.C. so time is of the essence."

"Agent Eppes' team will be here tomorrow," Hotchner informed his team. "At which point we'll go over the details of the case. Spend today finishing up any work that you're behind on. As of tomorrow the terrorism case is our number one priority. You're all dismissed."

The members of the BAU all got to their feet and left the conference room. Most made their way back to the bullpen area and half way there Reid noticed that Don Eppes was following him.

"Charlie said that you were supposed to contact him when you guys got back to Virginia," Don said as he followed the younger agent down the small flight of stairs. "But when I told him that I was meeting with you guys today he seemed surprised."

"I meant to send him an email last night," Reid said, a slightly guilty expression on his face. "But. . . um. . . something came up."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with your girlfriend would it Spencer?"

Completely caught off guard by the question Reid was at a loss for words.

"Oh-ho," Don exclaimed, needing no further explanation. The look on the younger agent's face, coupled together with the fact that Reid was currently unable to speak, told Don all he needed to know. He offered Reid a knowing look and slapped him good naturedly on the bicep. "Don't feel bad Spencer. In the same situation I would have made the same choice. I'm sure Charlie'll understand."

"Did Charlie come with you to Virginia Don?"

Don nodded. "That's why he wanted to know the minute you guys got back. He thought that the two of you could hang out."

Feeling guilty that he hadn't answered Charlie's email, Reid turned to face his best friend's brother. "Tell him to come over to my place tonight." Then as a sort of an after thought he added, "You're welcome to come too Don."

Don nodded. "I'll tell him."

REID'S APARTMENT

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 1

SIX O'CLOCK PM

Reid had just arrived home from work, having had to stay an hour late to make up for having been late, and as soon as he stepped inside his apartment the young man pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He quickly dialed Lyssa's number.

"Hey Spence. I was starting to get worried about you. You're home kinda late aren't you?"

"I stayed over to make up for being late."

"I'm so sorry about that."

"I told you that it wasn't your fault. Listen, Charlie's in town and he and his brother are supposed to come over to my apartment later. Would you like to join us?"

There was a brief pause and then Lyssa replied, "Think I'll take a rain check this time Spence."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. You have fun with your friends and I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?"

"Alright."

"Say hi to Charlie for me."

"I will."

"Love you."

"I love you too."

Not long after Reid spoke to Lyssa he heard the sound of someone knocking on the door. He quickly walked across the room and pulled the door open.

"Spencer!"

As soon as the door opened Charlie pounced on Reid, embracing the younger man and practically knocking the breath out of him.

"Hey Charlie," Reid said as he pulled free from his friend's grasp and attempted to catch his breath. "Hey Don. Glad you could make it."

"Are you kidding? Wouldn't have missed it," Don said with a smirk, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two younger men. "The two of you together is always good for a laugh."

"Ha ha," Charlie said as he and his brother entered the apartment. "Hey Spencer, I brought a deck of cards. What do you say to the two of us annihilating my brother at poker?"

"Oh, now that's not fair," Don said, shaking his head. "You're both geniuses and Spencer's from Vegas."

"Deal with it Donnie," Charlie said.

"You know I thought you might pull something like this," Don said as he pulled his backpack from his shoulder. "Which is why I brought this." As he spoke Don unzipped his backpack and pulled out a Scrabble board.

Charlie's eyes widened in horror. "Now who's not playing fair Donnie?"

"Ah turnabout's fair play Chuck," Don said with a smirk.

"Fine," Charlie said with an exaggerated sigh. "I'm sure Spencer will avenge my horrific defeat. He actually knows how to spell."

"Hadn't thought of that?" Don admitted.

Reid just smiled.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2

When Reid arrived at work the next morning (twenty minutes early just to be safe) he found Don and his team waiting in the bullpen area with Hotchner. The group all gazed up as Reid walked across the room.

"Good morning Reid," Hotchner said as Reid stowed his messenger bag under his desk.

"Good morning," Reid said quietly.

"Good to see you again Dr. Reid," Agent Megan Reeves said, offering the younger agent a smile.

Reid nodded as Colby Granger and David Sinclair both offered him a friendly wave.

* * *

Half an hour later the members of the BAU, along with Don and his team plus Charlie, were assembled in the conference room. As they all listened intently Don went over the details of the case. They were on the trail of a group of terrorists who'd moved from LA to DC when the FBI had begun to close in on them.

"We know that the terror cell was planning an attack in LA," Don told the group. "They uprooted just as we were about to nail them and I can only assume that they'll attempt to carry out an attack here."

"This said we have very little to go on since Agent Eppes and his team tracked down the terror cell's hideout but not the actual members," Hotchner told the group.

"That's right," Don said. "This isn't going to be easy but together I'm sure we can do it."

The rest of the agents all nodded.

The two groups of FBI agents, the BAU members and Don's team, spent the first part of the day going over the case files and discussing likely targets for the terrorists. Then they split up into groups and began to work on the case.

REID'S APARTMENT

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 5

Reid had just arrived home from work and he was exhausted. They had been working the terrorist case for four days now and they had all been pulling twelve hour shifts. Reid had just sat down on the sofa when his cell phone began to ring. Thinking that it was Hotchner calling him back to work Reid groaned under his breath before he pulled out his phone. He briefly glanced down at the screen and saw that it was Lyssa and not Hotchner who was calling him. He flipped the phone open.

"Hey Lyssa."

"Hey Spence. You haven't been answering your phone."

"I've been working on a case. We've been pulling long hours. Really long hours."

"What kind of case are you working on?"

"I'm sorry Lyssa but I can't say. It would be a breech of security."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it Spencer. Look I was just calling to make sure that you were okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. I love you Lyssa."

"Love you too."

Reid flipped the phone closed and sighed. He knew that he'd upset Lyssa just now but he wasn't allowed to talk about the case under any circumstances. It was confidential. The general public got spooked any time terrorism was mentioned and Hotchner wanted to avoid causing a panic.

Lost in thought Reid was startled when he heard a knock on the door. The young man groaned as he got to his feet. "Now what?"

Reid walked across the living room and pulled open the front door, revealing none other than Charlie.

"Hey pal," Charlie said, noticing the expression on Reid's face. "Is something wrong?"

"It's Lyssa," Reid said quietly as he stepped aside and allowed Charlie to enter the apartment.

"Are the two of you still having problems?" Charlie asked as he and his friend sat down on the sofa.

"She seems distant," Reid told his friend. "I know there's something wrong with her but she still won't tell me what it is."

"I'm sorry Spencer," Charlie said, knowing that his friend was concerned about his girlfriend. "I wish I could help but I don't know what I can say."

"It's alright Charlie," Reid said in a quiet voice. "This is something that I'm going to have to deal with on my own."

Charlie nodded, wishing that he could help his friend but knowing that Reid was right. This was something that the young man would have to figure out for himself.

"So," Reid said, breaking the somewhat awkward silence that had fallen. "Did you have a reason for coming here Charlie or can you just not get enough of my presence at work?"

"Just thought you might like some company," Charlie replied. "Don't tell me you're not happy to see me Spencer."

"That's not it," Reid said, shaking his head. "I'm just exhausted, that's all."

"I thought so," Charlie said, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a couple of DVDs and holding them up for Reid's inspection. "That's why I brought these. No games that require thought, skill, or concentration tonight. Just some good old fashioned mind numbing television."

Reid smiled, appreciating the thought, and Charlie did have a very valid point. It might be nice to spend an evening without thinking.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

MONDAY FEBRUARY 11

The group of FBI agents had finally come up with a decent lead on the terrorist organization that Don and his team had chased from LA. They still didn't have any ID on the suspects however what they did have was a possible location for their hideout. Now they were preparing to head on to the supposedly abandoned farm out in the Virginia countryside to find out if their hunches were correct.

"Hang here Charlie," Don told his brother as the mathematics professor started to follow the group of agents, who were making their way toward the elevator. "We'll be back in no time buddy."

Charlie was reluctant to remain at BAU headquarters however Don had that look in his eyes and he knew that his brother wouldn't back down from this. So he sat down at Reid's desk to await their return. "Be careful you guys."

"Of course," Don said.

The contingent from FBI piled into two Chevy Tahoes and made their way out to the Virginia countryside. When they reached the address that Charlie's equation, coupled together with the work of the profilers, had led them to Hotchner parked his SUV at the end of the driveway and Sinclair, who was driving the other Tahoe did likewise. The agents all climbed out of the SUVs and began to don their bulletproof vests.

"Alright," Hotchner said as they prepared for the raid. "Garcia said that the property has a house, a barn and a detached garage. Don, Reid and myself will take the house; Morgan, you, Reeves and Granger take the barn; Gideon, you, Prentiss, and Sinclair take the garage."

Everyone nodded to show that they understood his instructions and then split into their assigned groups. They quickly made their way up the driveway, making sure to keep low in an attempt to remain undetected.

Hotchner motioned toward the house and Don and Reid nodded. The trio of agents positioned themselves around the front door and, once Hotchner kicked it open, they all three rushed inside, weapons drawn. Hotchner and Don worked on clearing the rooms downstairs while Reid cautiously made his way upstairs. The young agent held his gun at the ready as he walked through the rooms upstairs. They all appeared to be deserted and he was just about to declare the upstairs clear when he noticed that one of the closet doors was slightly cracked open. Now Reid knew that this more than likely meant nothing however there was also a slight chance that someone was hiding in there.

Reid cautiously made his way over to the closet and, holding up his gun with one hand, he quickly pulled the door open. His gaze quickly swept over the small space and found it unoccupied. The young agent was just about to heave a sigh of relief when his gaze fell upon what at first glance appeared to be a digital clock.

Reid's blood ran cold as he watched the red timer counting down, instantly knowing exactly what the device was. It was a bomb and they were almost out of time. Reid raised his hand up to his mouth so that he could speak clearly into the wireless microphone that was clipped to the cuff of his sleeve. "Hotch I found a bomb! We have to get out of here now!"

Hoping that his boss, as well as Don, had heard the warning Reid turned and sprinted across the room toward the door. He'd just made it out of the room and to the top of the stairs when there was a deafening explosion.

TBC. . .


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds.

"What the hell?!" Morgan exclaimed as he ran out of the barn, followed closely behind by Megan and Colby.

"Oh no!" Megan gasped as her horrified gaze focused on the house, or what was left of it.

Gideon and his group had emerged from the garage at this point and together the six agents dashed toward the house.

* * *

"Uhn," Hotchner groaned as he got to his feet. His legs were a little bit shaky and he could feel blood flowing down his face and arms but he could move all of his extremities without too much pain and he didn't appear to have any serious injuries.

"You okay Hotch?" Don asked from a few feet away as he too struggled to get to his feet.

"I'll live," Hotchner replied, his eyes scanning the smoke filled room in search of the third member of their team. "Reid, you okay?"

No reply.

"REID!"

Hotchner and Don quickly searched the rubble and they soon found the spot where Reid lay, unconscious and partially buried by debris. "Hang in there Reid," Hotchner said as he and Don began to quickly move the debris that covered the young agent. "We'll have you out of there in no time."

"Hotch!" Morgan called out from the front door as he and the others carefully entered the house. "Are you guys okay?"

"Reid's hurt," Hotchner called back. "Call for an ambulance."

Morgan nodded and stepped back outside so that his cell phone would have a decent signal. Gideon and the others continued their way carefully into the demolished house and when they reached the spot where Reid lay Gideon quickly dropped to his knees and helped to move the debris.

With the added assistance they soon had Reid free and Don gazed around the room, an apprehensive look in his eyes. "Look guys, I know that we shouldn't move him but there's a fire upstairs and this place could come down at any time."

Hotchner nodded. It was basic medical knowledge that you shouldn't move a victim if there was any chance that they might have a spinal cord injury but in this case they really didn't have any other choice. They'd have to move Reid outside and hope that it didn't cause him any further injury. "Grab his arm Don."

Don nodded and gently grabbed one of Reid's arms. Hotchner grabbed the other and together the two agents carried the young man out of the house. Then, once they'd moved a safe distance away, they placed him gently down on the grass.

"Come on Spencer," Gideon said once they'd all moved outside of the demolished house. "Wake up."

Reid remained unresponsive and he now seemed to be having some difficulty breathing. His breaths were coming in quick, short gasps.

"I called an ambulance," Morgan said, joining the group at Reid's side. "Is our boy genius going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Gideon said quietly, his hand resting on Reid's arm and a far away look in his eyes.

Hotchner noticed the look in his colleague's eyes and he immediately knew that Gideon was reliving the bombing in Boston that had claimed the lives of several agents. "Jason are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Gideon said quietly, his gaze never leaving the young man who was lying so still on the ground.

"Dammit," Morgan muttered under his breath, his gaze leaving the prone form of his young partner and coming to rest on the house. Flames were now visible in the upstairs windows and smoke was billowing from a hole in the roof. "It's a miracle any of them survived."

At that moment Reid began coughing and as he did so blood came out of one corner of his mouth.

"Not good," Colby said as he placed his first two fingers to the side of Reid's neck. The younger agent's heartbeat was erratic. "We need the paramedics NOW!"

As if on cue the sound of sirens could be heard echoing through the air and moment's later an ambulance and a fire engine pulled up to the scene. Two paramedics jumped out of the ambulance, equipment in hand, and ran over to the spot where the group of FBI agents were huddled around Reid.

"Alright guys," on of the medics said as he knelt down beside Reid. "I'm gonna need you to step back and give us some room."

Reluctantly the group of FBI agents obeyed.

The two paramedics briefly assessed Reid's condition and then the young agent was immobilized and placed on a stretcher.

"Hotch," Gideon said quietly as the group of agents watched as Reid was moved over to the ambulance. "You and Don should ride with him. You guys need to be checked out too."

Hotchner shook his head. "I'm fine. Just a few cuts and bruises."

Gideon placed his hand on Hotchner's shoulder and gazed at the younger agent. "Now what was it that you told Reid after that shoot out in Valley City?"

"That going to the hospital was SOP in these types of situations," Hotchner reluctantly replied, knowing exactly where Gideon was going with this.

"I know you're the leader Hotch," Gideon said in a quiet but no less serious voice. "But I'm not taking no for an answer on this. Go to the hospital and get checked out."

"Fine," Hotchner said, knowing that Gideon was right. "Come on Don."

Don nodded without protest and together the two Agents in Charge walked over to the ambulance that was parked in the drive way a few feet away.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

Charlie had remained at Reid's desk after the group departed however Jareau felt sorry for him, sitting all alone while his brother and friends were out going after a group of terrorists, and she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Charlie, are you alright?"

Charlie nodded. "Just a little worried," he told her honestly.

"That's understandable," Jareau told him. "You know, I was just on my way to see Garcia. Would you like to come with me?"

Charlie thought about her offer for a few minutes before nodding once again. "Yea I think I would."

"Come on then," Jareau said with a friendly smile.

Charlie got to his feet and together he and Jareau made their way down to the office that the BAU's digital intelligence officer called home. When they reached the office, Jareau knocked lightly on the door and waited for a reply from Garcia.

"Come in."

Jareau raised an eyebrow, surprised by just how normal that sounded. She slowly opened the door and peered inside. "Garcia are you alright?"

"I'm okay," Garcia replied, offering Jareau a smile. Then she noticed Charlie, who was still standing in the doorway. "Hey Charlie."

Charlie seemed not to have heard the greeting and his gaze was fixed on something above Garcia's head, a strange expression on his face. Wondering what had him so transfixed Jareau and Garcia both followed his gaze to the television screen. There was a picture of a burning house on the screen.

"That looks bad," Garcia said softly.

"Look at the caption at the bottom," Charlie said, pointing toward the screen. "Isn't that where Don and the others were going?"

Garcia read the caption at the bottom of what the media had labeled a mysterious fire and she gasped. "That's exactly where they were going. Oh no!"

Garcia wasn't wearing her wireless headset and without another word she grabbed the phone and dialed a familiar number. She fidgeted with the phone cord as she listened to it ring. "Pick up," she said in a pleading voice. "Pick up. . . pick up."

"Hey baby girl," a familiar voice came across the phone after a wait of what seemed like forever.

"We saw this f-fire on the news," Garcia choked out, relieved beyond measure now that she'd heard his voice.

"There was an explosion," Morgan told her. "There was a bomb in the house and Hotch, Don and Reid were caught in the blast."

"Oh no!" Garcia gasped, her hand going up to her throat.

"Calm down," Morgan said in a soothing voice. "Hotch and Don only have minor injuries. Reid was hurt the worst but he's stable."

"What hospital?"

"Hope Memorial."

"We'll be there," Garcia said, hanging up the phone.

"What happened?" Both Charlie and Jareau demanded as soon as Garcia hung up the phone. They'd gathered from the conversation that something bad had happened however they hadn't been able to put all of the pieces together.

"There was a bomb," Garcia said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hotch, Reid and Don were caught in the blast."

Charlie's eyes widened in horror. "Were they. . ."

"Hotch and Don only suffered minor injuries," Garcia told them. "But Reid. . ."

"You mentioned Hope Memorial," Jareau said. "Is that where they're being taken?"

Garcia nodded, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Come on you guys," Jareau said. "We can be there in twenty minutes."

* * *

Jareau had hit the mark head on with her ETA and as soon as they arrived at the hospital she, Garcia, and Charlie led the way through the front door and into the emergency room waiting area.

"Hey guys," Morgan called out from a corner of the room.

"Derek!" Garcia exclaimed, running over to Morgan and throwing her arms around his neck.

"It's okay baby girl," Morgan whispered in a soothing voice, rubbing her back in a comforting manner.

"How's Reid?" Jareau asked Gideon who was sitting in a chair beside the spot where Morgan stood.

"He's still in the Emergency Room," Gideon told her.

Jareau nodded and sat down in the chair beside the senior profiler. Garcia gave Morgan one last squeeze before they both sat down. That left Charlie to pace.

* * *

About half an hour later Hotchner and Don joined the group out in the waiting room. Both had numerous butterfly bandages and Don had required six stitches to close a gash on his arm.

"Hey buddy," Don said to his brother, who was still pacing.

"Don," Charlie said.

"It's okay Charlie," Don said in a comforting tone of voice. "I'm fine."

"Have you guys heard anything about Reid?" Hotchner asked as he sat down across from Gideon.

Gideon shook his head.

At that moment a man dressed in a white lab coat with a stethoscope draped around his neck stepped into the waiting room. "I'm looking for the family of Spencer Reid."

Gideon immediately got to his feet, followed shortly thereafter by the rest of the BAU team.

The doctor surveyed the group, one eyebrow arched.

"We're from the FBI," Hotchner told the doctor. Gideon came to stand beside his colleague and added, "We may not be related to Spencer by blood but we are his family."

The doctor nodded and offered Gideon his hand. "I'm Dr. Grayson Holmes and I'm the one who treated Spencer in the ER."

Gideon accepted the doctor's hand and shook it. "How is Spencer?"

"The young man suffered a mild concussion as well as three broken ribs, one of which punctured his right lung," Dr. Holmes replied. "I inserted a chest tube to re-inflate his collapsed lung and he's now on a ventilator to help him breath. Now all we can do is wait."

"Can we see him?" Morgan asked.

Dr. Holmes debated the question for a moment before he nodded. "He's in Intensive Care so you can only go in two at a time but yea you can see him."

"Thank you," Gideon said.

Dr. Holmes nodded. "If you'll follow me I'll take you up to your friend's room."

Everyone nodded as they fell into step behind the ER doctor. Dr. Holmes led the way up to the third floor and into the Intensive Care Unit. "Your friend's in room six. Don't stay too long."

They all nodded and watched as the doctor left.

"Who's going in first?" Gideon asked the group.

"You and Hotch should go in first," Morgan said, gesturing toward the doors that led into the ICU.

Gideon glanced around at the others and, after receiving nods of agreement from everyone, he nodded. "Alright."

Together the two leaders of the BAU entered the Intensive Care Unit and slowly made their way back to Reid's room. When they stepped inside they saw their young colleague lying in bed, his face pale and a blue tube taped to his mouth.

"Spencer," Gideon said in a soft voice as he stepped over to the side of Reid's bed and picked up the young agent's hand. "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

Gideon waited, his gaze focused on the pale hand that he held, however Reid remained motionless.

"He'll be okay Jason," Hotchner told the older profiler.

"I know," Gideon said with a nod. Then he turned his attention back to Reid. "Listen Spencer, everyone's here so we're going to leave now so someone else can come see you." And with one last look at Reid's pale face he and Hotchner left the room. When they returned to the spot where the others were waiting Jareau and Prentiss went through the double doors into the ICU.

"Guys," Garcia said quietly. "Someone should probably call Lyssa and tell her that Reid was hurt."

"I'll do it," Charlie volunteered, walking away from the group.

"Hey Charlie!" Don called out as his brother walked down the corridor toward the elevator. Charlie paused and Don jogged over to him. "Listen buddy," he said in a quiet voice. "Don't tell her about the terrorists okay?"

"I got you," Charlie said. "That's on a need to know basis and she doesn't need to known. Right?"

"Something like that," Don said with a nod.

Charlie shrugged and continued on his way toward the elevator. The mathematics professor made his way outside where he pulled out his cell phone. "Good thing Reid used my phone to call her the other day," Charlie muttered to himself as he scanned 'dialed calls' for the one number that he wasn't familiar with. Then, when he found the number, he hit redial and listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?" The voice on the other side of the line sounded confused.

"Lyssa, it's Charlie."

"Hey Charlie." Still confused. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Listen to me Lyssa. I just called to let you know that Spencer's in the hospital."

Silence.

"Lyssa. . . are you there?"

"I'm here. What happened to him Charlie? Is he okay?"

Charlie hesitated. "He's in stable condition but I don't think I'm really the best person to answer that other question. You should talk to one of the BAU agents."

"Of course. Let me guess, it's on a need to know basis and I don't need to know."

"I'm sorry Lyssa. I'd tell you if I could."

"Don't worry about it Charlie. I know it's not your fault and I'm not mad at you. Can you at least tell me what hospital he's in?"

"Hope Memorial."

"Thanks. I'll be there as soon as I can."

With that the line went dead. Charlie sighed as he turned his phone off and placed it back in his pocket. "I hope I never have to do that again."

When Jareau and Prentiss came back out into the hallway Morgan took Garcia by the hand. "Come on. Let's go see our boy."

Garcia nodded and allowed Morgan to lead her through the double doors and down the small hallway to Reid's room. "Hey sweet boy," she whispered as she and Morgan came to stand at his bedside.

There were tears glistening in Garcia's eyes as she stared down at Reid and Morgan leaned over the young man's bed. "Listen to me boy genius," he whispered. "You're making my girl cry so you'd best snap out of this if you know what's good for you."

This said Morgan wrapped a comforting arm around Garcia's shoulders. "He's going to be fine."

Garcia nodded as she placed her hand gently on top of Reid's.

"Come on," Morgan said gently.

Garcia touched her first two fingers to her lips and then placed them to Reid's forehead. Then she allowed Morgan to led her from the room, glancing back briefly before she left the room. When they rejoined the group assembled outside the ICU, Don turned to his younger brother. "Come on Charlie, let's go see your friend."

Charlie nodded and together he and Don entered the ICU and made their way to Reid's room.

* * *

After receiving the news about Reid from Charlie, Lyssa drove like a person possessed, and she made it to the hospital in record time. When she arrived at Hope Memorial she parked in the overnight parking area and ran into the hospital, sprinting all the way up to the front desk. "I'm looking for a patient named Spencer Reid. Can you please tell me where I can find him?"

The receptionist typed the name into her computer and, after a few moments, she replied, "ICU, third floor."

Lyssa turned and dashed toward the stairs, calling out "Thank you" over her shoulder as she ran.

When Lyssa arrived on the third floor, slightly out of breath, she found Reid's friend's assembled in front of the double doors that led into the ICU. "How is he?" she asked as she came to a stop in front of the group.

"He's stable," Gideon replied in his calm, soothing manner.

Charlie offered the distraught young woman his hand. "Come on Lyssa and I'll take you back to see him."

Lyssa nodded and accepted his hand. Together the two of them entered the ICU and Charlie led the way back to Reid's room.

"Oh my God!" Lyssa exclaimed as her gaze fell upon Reid. She rushed over to his side and picked up his hand. "Hey Spence, it's Lyssa. Listen if you can hear me squeeze my hand."

Lyssa waited, gazing at the hand that she held in her own, but nothing happened. "Dammit Spencer, if you know what's good for you, you'll wake up."

Charlie walked over to Lyssa and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The young woman immediately turned around and gazed up at him, her blue eyes filled with unshed tears. "Didn't really think that would work," she managed to choke out. "He's so stubborn."

"He's going to be fine," Charlie told her. "You have to trust me on this."

Lyssa nodded her gaze once again shifting to Reid.

TBC. . .


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds or NUMB3RS either for that matter.

HOPE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12

All the members of the BAU, along with Don's team, Charlie and Lyssa, remained at the hospital that night, keeping vigil over Reid, however the young man's condition did not change. Most of the group sat together in the ICU waiting room, talking quietly amongst themselves, however Lyssa sat alone in a far corner. The young woman held her head in her hands and rocked back and forth.

Gideon noticed this behavior and, even though he was enduring his own personal hell, his compassion for others won out and he got to his feet and walked over to her. "Lyssa. . ." he spoke in a quiet voice.

"This isn't right," Lyssa mumbled as Gideon sat down in a chair beside her. "This shouldn't have happened to Spencer."

"This shouldn't ever happen to anyone," Gideon told her, thinking back on all the horrible things that he'd seen since he'd joined the Bureau.

"I know that," Lyssa said. "It's just. . . this is so hard. And on top of everything else. . ."

"Spencer mentioned that he was concerned about you," Gideon said, leaning forward slightly in his chair. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

"Look, I appreciate your concern," Lyssa said, making and holding eye contact with the veteran profiler. "I really do but I know what I have to do now. All I need is for Spencer to wake up so that I can tell him."

"Alright," Gideon said. "But if you decide that you want to talk, I'll listen."

"Thank you," Lyssa said quietly. "You know, I think I'm gonna go out and get some air. I'll be back in a little while."

This said Lyssa got to her feet and left the waiting room. With a sigh Gideon got up and rejoined his colleagues on the other side of the room.

"Is she okay?" Charlie asked the senior profiler as he sat down.

"I don't know," Gideon replied honestly. "I'm having a hard time reading her. There's definitely something wrong but considering the circumstances. . . "

Charlie nodded his head in understanding.

"You know guys I've been thinking," Morgan said after a few minutes, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. "And I think this whole thing was a set up."

Hotchner's attention was immediately focused on his subordinate, who'd appeared to be lost in thought for the last couple of hours and who seemed to have decided that Lyssa's departure was the perfect moment to speak his mind.

"I think the terrorists leaked that intel to us on purpose," Morgan continued. "I think they knew that we were on their trail and they fed us the information and lured us into a trap."

"I think you're right," Don said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "And I think we were damn close to finding their target. We need to get back on this."

Hotchner nodded his head in agreement. "We owe it to Reid to find the people responsible for this."

"But someone has to stay here," Garcia said, turning pleading eyes to the rest of the group. "In case. . ."

Garcia didn't finish her statement but they all knew what she meant. Someone needed to remain at the hospital in case Reid's condition changed, be it for better or for worse.

"I'll stay," Gideon said.

"Are you sure Jason?" Hotchner asked, his gaze focused on the older agent who was still visibly shaken by this whole ordeal. Hotchner could practically see the images of Boston, as well as the attack of the previous day, replaying in the old profiler's mind.

"I'm fine Hotch," Gideon assured the younger profiler. "You guys go back and find the people responsible for this. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Spencer."

"Alright," Hotchner said. "Call us if there's any change."

Gideon nodded and watched as they all got to their feet and left the waiting room.

* * *

As the group of FBI agents left the hospital they ran into Lyssa, who was sitting on a bench just outside the emergency room entrance. The young woman looked up as they walked past. "Where are you guys going?" she asked, a curious look in her blue eyes.

"Back to HQ," Hotchner replied. "We have a case to work on."

"So you're just gonna leave?" Lyssa said, glaring at the group of FBI agents. "Spencer's lying up there, maybe dying, and you guys are just gonna go back to work? How can you do that? How can you just leave him?"

"Listen," Morgan said, slightly offended that she thought that they didn't care about Reid. "We're all worried about our boy but if we don't solve this case then there's a good possibility that more people are going to get hurt."

"I'm sorry," Lyssa said, realizing that she'd offended him and probably the others as well. "I didn't mean. . ."

"It's okay," Morgan said. "I know you're stressed so don't worry about it."

Lyssa nodded and offered him a somewhat forced smile.

"We have to go," Hotchner said. "We'll see you later."

Lyssa nodded once more and watched as the group of FBI agents, as well as Charlie, walked toward the parking lot.

* * *

Not long after Hotchner and the others left, Lyssa made her way back up to the waiting room and as she walked down a deserted corridor she thought about Reid. A picture of him lying in that bed upstairs, on a ventilator, flashed in Lyssa's mind and threatened to make her lose her resolve.

"No," Lyssa thought to herself as she walked over to the elevator. "I've made my decision and it's better this way."

Lyssa rode the elevator back up to the third floor and as she reentered the waiting room she saw that Gideon was reading a magazine. Slightly curious Lyssa walked over to him. "What are you reading?"

"It's a magazine about British wild birds," Gideon replied, momentarily ceasing his reading to gaze up at her and holding up the magazine so that she could see the cover.

"I see," Lyssa said, sitting down beside him. "So you like birds huh?"

Gideon nodded. "When you see the things that we see every day you need something that takes your mind off of the horror."

"That makes sense," Lyssa said in a soft voice, thinking about Gideon's words.

BAU HEADQUARTERS

LATER THAT DAY

When the group of FBI agents arrived back at HQ they quickly split into groups; Hotch, Morgan, Colby and Megan in one group, Don, David and Prentiss in the second and that left Garcia and Charlie in the last group.

"Come on Charlie," Garcia said, forcing herself to return to her normal, cheerful self. "We have work to do. We're gonna solve this one for Reid."

Charlie nodded and followed Garcia down to her office. Up until this point he'd been paired with Reid, just like the time before back in LA, and he felt out of place without his friend.

Garcia seemed to sense his emotional turmoil and she gazed at him, a concerned look in her eyes. "Are you alright Charlie?"

Charlie nodded as the two of them sat down in front of her computer however Garcia didn't look convinced. "I know you're lying Charlie. Tell me what's wrong. Please."

"I can't help but feel that what happened to Spencer was my fault," Charlie told her, a mixture of guilt and sadness on his face. "I led them all into a trap and Reid got hurt and they could have been killed. . ."

"Charlie," Garcia snapped, surprising the young man with the sharpness of her tone. "This is not your fault so you get those thoughts out of your head right now. The ones responsible for this, the ONLY ones responsible, are the people who planted that bomb. Do you understand me?"

Charlie nodded, a shocked expression on his face. He'd never seen this side of Garcia before.

"Good," Garcia said, snapping back to normal. "Now let's get to work."

Charlie nodded, grateful for the words of comfort, odd though they definitely were. He'd needed to hear someone, anyone, tell him that what had happened to his friend hadn't been his fault. He offered Garcia a small smile before the two of them got to work.

HOPE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

THAT NIGHT

Gideon and Lyssa were sitting in the ICU waiting room, in silence, when they heard the familiar sounds of people entering the room. Looking up they saw Charlie and Garcia, walking across the room toward them. Gideon gazed at the two, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Everyone's still at the office working on the case," Garcia told him in answer to the unasked question. "Hotch sent us to check on Reid as well as the two of you."

"And we brought dinner," Charlie added, holding up a brown paper bag.

"Thank you," Gideon said as Charlie placed the bag on the table that was positioned between his chair and the one in which Lyssa sat.

Lyssa glanced up at the clock and said in a quiet voice. "Thanks Charlie, maybe later. It's almost visiting hours."

Charlie nodded as she got to her feet. "I'll go with you to see him, if that's okay?"

Lyssa nodded and together she and Charlie left the waiting room. Once they were gone Garcia sat down in the chair that Lyssa had just vacated and stared over at her boss. "Are you holding up alright sir?"

Gideon's gaze went to Garcia, who had a concerned look in her eyes, and he offered her a smile. "It's not easy, I won't lie to you and tell you that it is, but Spencer's going to be just fine. And so am I."

Garcia nodded.

"Are you okay?" Gideon asked, concern in his voice.

"I'll be fine as soon as our boy wakes up," Garcia said, tears forming in her eyes but not falling.

As soon as visiting hours arrived Lyssa and Charlie pushed through the double doors and made their way back to Reid's room. When they entered the room they saw that Reid was in the same position as earlier, the only change was the fact that the bruises that discolored the young man's face were darker than they had been before.

"Hey Spence," Lyssa said, walking over to Reid's bedside and picking up his hand. "Listen, if you can hear me Spencer squeeze my hand."

Lyssa stared down at the hand that she held in her own, willing it to move, but nothing happened.

Charlie walked over to the other side of Reid's bed and picked up his other hand, being careful not to disturb any of the tubes and wires. "Spencer, it's Charlie. Listen buddy, you've got to snap out of this. Everyone's really worried."

When Charlie and Lyssa came back to the waiting room, Gideon and Garcia both got to their feet. The two pairs traded places at that point, Lyssa and Charlie sitting down to wait while Gideon and Garcia made their way back to the ICU. Following the same path that Lyssa and Charlie had taken earlier, Gideon and Garcia made their way back to Reid's room. They entered the room quietly and made their way over to the young man's bedside.

"Hey sweet boy," Garcia said in a whisper as she gazed down at the young man who was lying so still in the bed. "We're all here for you, I just wanted you to know that."

"Spencer," Gideon said as he picked up Reid's hand and held it in his own. "I want you to squeeze my hand. Come on Spencer, squeeze my hand."

A few minutes passed, during which nothing happened, and then Gideon leaned forward so that he could whisper in Reid's ear. "Spencer, squeeze my hand."

There was a twitch and then Gideon felt a gentle squeeze on his hand. "Good job Spencer, good job. Now I want you to open your eyes for me Spencer."

The young man's eyelids twitched slightly, as though he were trying to open them but was unable to.

"That's okay Spencer," Gideon told Reid. "You did good."

TBC. . .


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer- I have no claim to either CBS or Criminal Minds. I merely enjoy messing with the characters.

A/N- I know it's been awhile since I updated this and I apologize for that. My train of thought derailed and it has taken quite awhile for me to pick up the pieces.

Chapter Fourteen

BAU HEADQUARTERS

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15

"We've got them!" Garcia exclaimed, twirling her office chair away from her computer screen and coming to face Charlie. "Do me a favor and round everyone up."

"Sure thing," Charlie said, getting quickly to his feet. The math genius hurriedly left the digital intelligence officer's domain and made his way upstairs to the bullpen area where the rest of the BAU team, as well as Don and his team, were working. When he arrived upstairs he found the room virtually deserted so he made his way up to the small landing where the conference room was located and when he pushed the door open he found the people he was looking for assembled around the conference table.

"Hey Charlie," Don said as he and everyone else looked up to see who their visitor was. "You got something?"

Charlie nodded. "Set up video conference with Garcia, she has some things that she wants to share with you."

Hotchner nodded and quickly set up a video feed that linked a laptop on the conference table with the main computer of the digital intelligence officer. When the pleasant face of Garcia appeared on the screen she smiled broadly at her boss and Hotchner thought to himself that it was the first genuine smile that he'd seen on her face since Reid was injured. "What have you got for us Garcia?"

"I am truly amazing," Garcia said. "Not only have I tracked down a couple of suspects for you but I also have a lead on a possible hide-out for them."

"That's good work Garcia," Hotchner said. "Give us all the information you've got and we'll get right on it."

"Right," Garcia said.

HOPE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

THAT SAME DAY

Gideon and Lyssa were sitting in the ICU waiting room, the small room that they had called home for the past three days, when the door opened and Hotchner and his team stepped inside. Gideon's gaze shifted to his team and he held a questioning look in his eyes.

"We've found them," Hotchner stated in a matter of fact tone as he came to stand beside the chair where the senior agent was sitting. "And we're setting up a sting operation as we speak. We're going to get these guys this time."

Gideon nodded and said in a quiet voice. "Be careful."

Hotchner nodded. "Of course. So has Reid's condition changed any?"

Gideon shook his head. "Not since the last time we spoke. Sometimes I can get him to squeeze my hand but most of the time he remains motionless."

"He's going to be okay Jason," Hotchner said.

"I know," Gideon said.

"We're going to leave Garcia and Charlie here with you," Hotchner said, turning the focus of the conversation back to the upcoming mission to apprehend the terrorists. "The rest of us, along with several members of the SWAT team, are going to go and apprehend these guys. We're not taking any chances this time."

Gideon nodded.

Hotchner turned and left the small waiting room, followed closely behind by the rest of his team. Gideon watched them leave, saying a silent prayer that the mission would go well and that all of them would come back safely this time. Then the senior agent focused his gaze on Garcia and he instantly picked up on the worry that was barely hidden behind her eyes as she watched Morgan leave with the others. He got to his feet and walked over to the spot where she stood, placing his hand on her shoulder. "They're going to be fine."

"I know that," Garcia said, almost managing to keep her voice steady.

"It's visiting hours," Gideon said, deciding that a change of subject was in order. "Why don't you and Charlie go and see him?"

Garcia smiled and nodded. She turned to Charlie and together the two of them left the small waiting room and made their way down the hall to the ICU. They navigated the familiar path to Reid's room and when they reached it they stepped inside quietly.

"Hey sweet boy," Garcia called out in a soft voice as she walked across the room and came to stand at his bedside. She picked up his pale hand and held it in her own, leaning over so that she could whisper in his ear, "Squeeze my hand Spencer."

There was a brief pause and then Garcia felt a slight pressure on her hand. She stood back up and smiled down at her young team mate. "You did good. Now open your eyes for me."

The young man's eyelids twitched slightly, as though he were trying to open them, however after a few moments he stilled.

"That's okay," Garcia said. "You'll get there Spencer. I know you will."

Garcia and Charlie spent a few more minutes with Reid and then they made their way back out to the waiting room so that Gideon and Lyssa could go back and visit with the young man. Once the two of them had made their way back to the ICU Garcia turned to Charlie. "So what do you think is up with her?"

Charlie arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Lyssa," Garcia said. "She's been acting strange ever since Reid was injured. There's something going on with her, I just can't figure out what it is."

"Well," Charlie said. "Her boyfriend is in ICU and no one's told her exactly what happened to him. I don't think it's that unusual that she's a little shaken up."

Garcia shook her head. "No, it's more than that. There is definetely something else going through that little girl's mind."

HOPE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

LATER THAT DAY

Several hours had passed since Hotchner and his group left to apprehend the suspected terrorists and Gideon and the group at the hospital were beginning to grow concerned. Their concern proved to be unfounded however as, around eight o'clock, the group of FBI agents trooped into the ICU waiting room. They looked exhausted however Gideon could tell that they had accomplished their mission by the jubilant expressions on the faces of the people that he saw entering the room.

"Six people," Morgan announced. "They're being interrogated as we speak."

"Good work," Gideon said.

"So has his condition changed any?" Hotchner asked as the group of agents all took seats.

Gideon shook his head. "He will squeeze your hand sometimes however the reaction isn't consistent."

"I see," Hotchner said.

This time when visiting hours rolled around it was Hotchner and Gideon who took the first visit, leaving the others out in the waiting room. The two senior agents followed the familiar path down the hall to the Intensive Care Unit and when they reached the ICU they quickly made their way to Reid's room.

Gideon stepped into the darkened room, followed closely behind by Hotchner, and the two profilers walked over to their young colleague's bed.

Gideon reached down and took his young subordinate's hand into his own, saying as he did so, "Can you squeeze my hand Spencer? If you can hear me squeeze my hand."

There was a slight twitch and then Gideon felt the familiar, light pressure. He offered Reid a smile and then opened his mouth to speak the second of his by now familiar requests however before he had the chance Reid's eyelids fluttered for a few minutes before they slowly opened.

"Spencer!" Gideon called out.

Reid's gaze slowly shifted to the senior profiler and then he gazed over at Hotchner before his gaze slowly surveyed the otherwise empty room. Gideon immediately knew who his young colleague was looking for and he offered the young man another smile. "She's here Spencer. Hold on a minute and I'll go out and get her for you."

This said Gideon left the room, quickly making his way back down the hall toward the waiting room. When he opened the door everyone glanced up and Charlie asked, "What is it? Did something happen?"

Gideon nodded and offered the group a small smile. "He woke up."

Lyssa's head shot up at this news and she got quickly to her feet. Gideon nodded in her direction and said, "I think he was looking for you. You should go and see him."

Lyssa nodded and quickly left the waiting room, practically sprinting down the hall toward the ICU. When she reached the room in which her boyfriend lay she slowed her pace and stepped through the doorway. Hotchner nodded in her direction and left the room, to allow them some privacy.

Lyssa slowly walked over to Reid's bedside, picked up his hand, and gazed down into his partially open eyes. "Hey Spence. I was wondering when you were going to wake up."

Reid was unable to speak due to the intubation tube that was in his throat however he did manage to squeeze the hand that held his so tightly.

Tears appeared in Lyssa's eyes at this motion and she suddenly released her hold on his hand, turned and sprinted out of the room. Garcia and Charlie, who had been making their way to Reid's room for their visit, had to step out of the way to avoid being run over by the girl.

"What in the. . ."

Charlie shook his head. "I have no idea."

Nearly blinded by her tears Lyssa kept running, completely by passing the waiting room where her boyfriend's colleagues were all assembled, and she ended up outside the hospital. The young woman stopped running at this point and she sat down on the steps, gazing down at her clasped hands. "Oh Spencer."

Garcia quickly made her way down the hall to Reid's room while Charlie turned back and went in search of Lyssa. The two of them had decided without words that someone should go and check on the young woman and Charlie volunteered for the job.

Charlie went back to the waiting room however he soon discovered that Lyssa had by passed that particular room.

"Is something wrong buddy?" Don asked as his brother poked his head into the waiting room.

"You could say that," Charlie replied. "Lyssa freaked out and ran out of Spencer's room and now we have no idea where she went. Have any of you guys seen her?"

Charlie's gaze swept the room however everyone shook their heads, indicating a reply in the negative. "Damn."

"Do you have any idea what happened?" Morgan asked.

Charlie shook his head. "No. Garcia and I were on our way back to Spencer's room when she ran past. I can tell you that she was crying but what I can't tell you is why."

"Something isn't right with this picture," Morgan said. "She should be ecstatically happy that Reid woke up and she should have to be pried from that room with force. And yet she ran out of her own free will. That makes no sense to me."

TBC. . .

A/N- I apologize once again for the fact that it took me so long to update however I've been battling a bout of depression and I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want to write, I didn't want to draw, hell I didn't even want to get out of bed. So sorry for the wait. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer- I do not own Criminal Minds, NUMB3RS or CBS. I merely borrow the characters for my own amusement.

Chapter Fifteen

HOPE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15

While Charlie retreated back down the hallway in search of Lyssa, Garcia continued on her way to Reid's room. When she entered the room she quickly walked over to the bed and gazed down at her young colleague. Reid's eyes were only partially open and yet his gaze was searching the room. Searching, she knew, for the person who had just ran out.

"It's okay sweet boy," Garcia whispered to him, picking up his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

Reid slowly raised his gaze to Garcia and then he slowly pulled his hand from her grip and moved it to the tube that was taped to his mouth.

"No!" Garcia said, quickly recapturing his hand and holding it tightly in her own. She gazed down at the young man with a concerned expression on her face. "You have to leave the tube alone Spencer, you need it to breathe."

There was a confused expression in Reid's eyes however he made no further attempts to extubate himself. He merely lay in bed, staring blankly at the far wall. Shaking her head sadly Garcia continued to gaze down at his pale face, holding his hand and speaking words of comfort to him in a soft and soothing tone of voice.

* * *

After establishing the fact that Lyssa was nowhere to be found inside the hospital Charlie made his way to the front entrance and upon walking out the front door he found the young woman sitting on the steps, her knees drawn up under her chin and her arms wrapped protectively around them. Lyssa was completely silent however as Charlie sat down beside her he noticed that tears were flowing down her face.

"What happened in there Lyssa?" Charlie asked in a quiet voice, his gaze focused on Reid's young girlfriend.

"I don't know," Lyssa choked out, wiping the tears from her face with the sleeve of her shirt. "Seeing him like that was just too much for me to take. I started to feel like I couldn't breathe and I knew that I had to get out of there."

"Panic attack," Charlie muttered, more to himself that to Lyssa. "Do you need anything?"

Lyssa shook her head, knowing that she didn't deserve his kindness. Her thoughts kept going back to the news that she had to give Spencer and this caused a fresh bout of tears. It wasn't something that she wanted to do however she realized that it was something that she had to do. "I'm really sorry."

Shocked by the young woman's words all Charlie could do was stare as Lyssa got to her feet and made her way back inside the hospital.

Forcing herself to remain calm and to take slow and deep breaths, Lyssa made her way back upstairs to the ICU and once again went inside Reid's room. She offered Garcia an apologetic look and, after a brief hesitation, Garcia relinquished her hold on Reid's hand and stepped out of the room.

"Hey Spence," Lyssa said in a quiet voice as Reid's gaze focused on her. "I'm sorry about that. I just needed some fresh air but I'm back now."

Lyssa picked up Reid's hand and smiled sadly as she felt a slight pressure.

* * *

After Lyssa arrived back in Reid's room Garcia left the ICU and made her way back down the hall to the waiting room. Charlie had rejoined the others by this time and Garcia sat down beside him and turned a questioning gaze in his direction. "So did you find out exactly what was wrong with her?"

"She said that she felt like she couldn't breathe," Charlie replied, gazing at the hands that he held clasped in his lap.

"I think there's something more to it than that," Morgan said, his gaze focused on the hallway that led back to the ICU.

"Maybe," Charlie said in a quiet voice. "She told me that she was sorry but she didn't say exactly what she was sorry about.

HOPE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17

After regaining consciousness Reid's recovery progressed well and after two days he was moved to a private room in the Intermediate Care Unit. The members of the BAU, with the exception of Gideon and Garcia, had gone back to work once it became obvious that Reid was going to make a full recovery however the old profiler remained in case his young colleague needed him and Garcia had told the others to call her if they needed her assistance. Charlie and Lyssa remained as well and as soon as the young profiler had been settled into his new room and the nurses gave the okay to visit Lyssa took a deep breath and got to her feet.

As she walked down the hall Lyssa couldn't help the tears that formed in her blue eyes. She new that what she was about to tell Reid would hurt him deeply however she was still convinced that it would save him pain in the long run and her determination never faltered.

When the young woman reached the room where her boyfriend lay she knocked softly on the door a couple of times, to announce her arrival, and then she pushed the door open and stepped inside the small, private room. Reid's gaze shifted to her as he heard the sound of her entering the room and a small smile appeared on his face as he realized who his visitor was.

"Hey," the young profiler whispered as Lyssa walked across the room toward him.

"Hey yourself," Lyssa said as she leaned down and gave him a very chaste kiss on the cheek. "How are you feeling Spencer?"

"Not bad considering," Reid said quietly, picking up on the fact that she'd called him Spencer instead of the usual Spence. He also couldn't help but notice the fact that her eyes were filled with unshed tears and there was a slight shake in her voice when she spoke to him. "Are you okay?"

"Listen Spencer you don't need to worry about me," Lyssa said, gazing down into his pale face. "I'm not worth it."

"Of course you're worth it," Reid said, pulling himself to a sitting position with some difficulty.

Lyssa shook her head. "I can't handle this Spencer. Your job and the fact that something like this could happen again the next time you go on a case. I don't think the two of us should see each other anymore."

"But I. . . I don't understand."

"I'm sorry Spencer." With these last parting words Lyssa turned and fled the room, ignoring the fact that Reid called out to her in a pleading voice.

"Please Lyssa," the young profiler begged, attempting to extricate himself from the tubes that had him surrounded. "Please don't do this."

"I have to," Lyssa thought to herself as she ran down the hall and away from his room. "It's for the best."

"What in the world?" Garcia exclaimed as she and the others made their way down the hall toward the small room that held an assortment of vending machines.

"Garcia," Gideon said, his gaze focused on the retreating young girl. "You and Charlie go and check on Reid. I'm going to go and find out what's going on with Lyssa."

Garcia and Charlie both nodded and the trio parted ways; Garcia and Charlie in the direction of Reid's room and Gideon in the direction that Lyssa had fled. Charlie and Garcia quickly made their way down the hall to Reid's room and when they arrived they found the young profiler attempting to remove the IV from his arm.

"Whoa," Charlie exclaimed as he rushed across the room and grabbed Reid's arm. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go after Lyssa," Reid said, fighting the hold that Charlie had on his arm.

"What happened Spencer?" Garcia asked in a kind and gentle voice.

All of the fight left Reid as he recalled the words that Lyssa had spoken to him, words that had absolutely broken his heart. "She doesn't want to see me anymore."

"What?" Garcia exclaimed. "Why not?"

"She said that she couldn't handle it," Reid said in a quiet voice as Charlie helped him to lay back down. "She said there was a potential that something like this could happen again and that she just couldn't handle the stress."

"But she knew all of this when she met you," Garcia said. "So what else has changed?"

"I don't know," Reid said, tears evident in his eyes.

* * *

Gideon followed Lyssa out of the hospital and watched as the sobbing young woman got into her car and drove out of the parking lot. Shaking his head the old profiler went to the spot where his own car was parked, climbed inside and made his way to the place where he was certain Lyssa was going; her home. When the profiler pulled into the parking lot he saw the car parked in it's usual spot and he pulled his SUV in beside it. Getting out of the car Gideon made his way to the front door where he rang the doorbell and waited for a reply.

A few minutes passed and then the door opened, revealing a still crying Lyssa. When the young woman realized who her visitor was she attempted to close the door however Gideon offered her an understanding smile. "I just want to talk. I promise I won't try to alter your decision."

Lyssa debated his words for a few minutes before she made her decision. Stepping aside she allowed Gideon to enter her home. She led the way into the living room, where she motioned toward a sofa where a small white dog was sleeping. Gideon sat down beside the dog, who opened his eyes and wagged his tail in a friendly manner, while Lyssa sat in an armchair across from them.

"You think I'm a horrible person don't you?" Lyssa asked in a voice hoarse from crying.

"No I don't think you're a horrible person," Gideon replied in his own quiet voice. "I think you're a person in pain and I think that you didn't mean to cause Spencer any pain. I believe that you are, in fact, trying to save him from future pain."

Lyssa's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're sick aren't you?"

"How did you. . ."

"Spencer mentioned that you've seemed sad and distracted lately," Gideon told her. "And that you've had to cancel several dates because of appointments that you told him you'd forgotten about. They were doctor's appointments weren't they?"

"I have a brain tumor," Lyssa said in a quiet and resigned voice. "I didn't tell Spencer because I didn't want to see the same look of pity in his eyes that I get from everyone else. And I don't want him to have to watch me die. This way is better. Sure he's in pain now but it'll be easier for him to recover from the pain if he thinks I'm a selfish bitch and hates my guts."

"I don't think that he could ever hate you," Gideon said quietly. "And I have the feeling that he'll attempt to talk you out of this decision once he gets out of the hospital."

"I've thought of that," Lyssa said. "Which is why I've decided to move. There are hospitals better equipped to treat my disease and while the doctors have pretty much given me a death sentence I'm not about to lay down and die. However when Spence gets out of the hospital I won't be here anymore."

"You've thought about this a lot," Gideon said.

"I've had awhile to plan," Lyssa said sadly. "Please promise me that you won't tell him what you know. Please just let him think that I'm a jerk."

"I won't tell him," Gideon said. "But I really think that you should."

Lyssa shook her head as a single tear slid down her cheek.

TBC. . .

A/N- Once again I apologize for the fact that it took me so long to update this and I apologize for the fact that it's depressing although I swear that my current depression in no way affected the story. This was the planned outcome all along however there is one chapter left and that chapter might make up for this one somewhat.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds.

A/N- Okay I realize that in the author's note of the last chapter I stated that there would only be one more chapter and then the story would be over however, after re-thinking the plot a little bit I have decided that that will not be the case. So at this point I'm not exactly sure how many more chapters there are going to be.

Chapter Sixteen

MONDAY FEBRUARY 25

As Lyssa sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office her thoughts flashed back to the image that would be seared into her brain until the day she died; a confused and heart broken Spencer calling out to her, begging her not to leave. She knew that she'd hurt him deeply and for that she was more sorry than words could describe however by causing him this pain now it was her intention to spare him from future pain. She was going to die and she didn't want him to have to watch her waste away. The pain of her dying before his very eyes had to be worse than the pain caused by her departure.

"Lyssa Knight."

Jarred from her thoughts by the sound of the receptionist calling out her name Lyssa got to her feet and made her way back to the doctor's office. The nurse led her back to the small exam room where she was soon joined by the doctor, Dr. Gray.

"Well Lyssa we got your blood work back," Dr. Gray said as he pulled a chair over and sat down in front of her. The elderly doctor gazed into the young woman's eyes, a serious expression on his face. "And there's something that you and I need to discuss."

BAU HEADQUARTERS

LATER THAT SAME DAY

"So how's our boy genius?" Morgan asked as he joined the other members of the BAU in the conference room. Reid was still in the hospital, although his recovery was going as well as could be expected. The young man was still depressed over the fact that Lyssa had left him however his friends were doing all that they could to ease some of his pain.

"He's okay," Garcia said in a quiet voice. "Still a little messed up over the fact that Lyssa left but I think he's going to be okay."

"Well that's good," Morgan said. "So what do you say you and I go over and visit him after work today?"

"I'd say that sounds like a plan," Garcia said, offering him a smile.

"Then it's a date baby girl," Morgan said, offering her a winning smile.

"Alright everyone," Hotchner called out, gaining the attention of the group. "We have a case here in D.C that requires our attention. . ."

LYSSA'S HOUSE

MONDAY FEBRUARY 25

"Oh Shiro-chan," Lyssa said softly to her little dog as she buried her face in his soft fur. "I can't believe this. . . first I find out that I have cancer, which will be nearly impossible to treat, and now I can't even take the treatment. And this changes things with Spencer."

The little white dog gazed adoringly up at Lyssa and yipped softly.

"Yea," Lyssa said. "I know how you feel about it. Guess I should have listened to you all along." Getting to her feet Lyssa grabbed her purse and her car keys and then bent down to rub her little dog behind the ears. "I'll be home later Shiro-chan."

The dog offered her one last yip as she made her way toward the front door.

HOPE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

AN HOUR LATER

When Lyssa arrived at the hospital she made her way up to Reid's floor however she had to pause outside of his room and take a couple of deep breaths. She had some things that she had to tell him however there was a very real chance that he wouldn't want to talk to her, not that she could really blame him if he felt that way.

"Alright," the young woman said, taking one final, deep breath and steeling herself for what was to come. Lyssa knocked lightly on Reid's door and then opened it slowly and stepped inside.

Reid's gaze went toward the door, expecting to see one of his team members, and his eyes widened in disbelief as his searching gaze fell upon Lyssa.

"Hello Spencer," Lyssa said in a soft voice as she slowly made her way across his room toward the bed where he lay.

"Hey," Reid said quietly, wondering to himself why she was there since she'd made it pretty clear the last time that she couldn't handle the stress of a relationship with him.

"Listen Spencer," Lyssa said, pulling a chair over to the side of his bed. She sat down and gazed over into his eyes. "I know that I hurt you and for that I'm really sorry."

"Just tell me why," Reid said. "You knew that my job was dangerous and. . ."

"I lied to you before Spencer," Lyssa said, interrupting him. "I just used your accident as an excuse, which was pretty low. I'm sorry but I promise that I was only trying to spare you more pain."

"More pain. . ." Reid repeated.

"I'm dying Spencer," Lyssa said bluntly, having decided that the direct approach was the best way to proceed under the circumstances. "I have a brain tumor and I didn't want you to have to watch me waste away and then die. I thought that things would be easier for you if you thought I was a jerk and that's why I left."

"I didn't think you were a jerk," Reid said in a quiet voice, his gaze focused on her face. "And just because you've been diagnosed with cancer doesn't necessarily mean you're going to die. Statistically. . ."

"I can't undergo treatment," Lyssa told him, interrupting his statistics on cancer survival rates.

"Why not?" Reid wanted to know. "You can fight this and I promise I'll be there for you."

"I do need you to be there for me Spencer," Lyssa said in a quiet voice. "But I can't undergo chemo or radiation."

"Why?" Reid asked again. He couldn't understand why she didn't want to fight the disease. Sure it looked bad however that wasn't any reason to just give up.

"I'm pregnant," Lyssa said in a quiet voice.

TBC. . .

A/N- And there we have chapter sixteen. It was always my intention to for Lyssa to get pregnant however in the original ending Reid didn't find out about it until after her death. However I decided that that was just too depressing so I reworked the plot a little bit. Hope you enjoy and if you don't I apologize.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer- I do not own CBS or Criminal Minds. Just borrowing the characters for my own amusement.

HOPE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

MONDAY FEBRUARY 25

Reid's eyes opened wide and he found himself completely unable to believe the words that she'd just spoken. Maybe he'd heard her wrong. Had she really just told him that she was pregnant? "Lyssa a. . . are you serious?"

Lyssa nodded, attempting to gauge by his tone and facial features how he felt about the news that she'd just delivered. All she was able to read for certain was the fact that he was completely and utterly shocked. "I found out today when I went to the doctor's office. They had to run some blood tests before I could begin treatment for the tumor and they found out that I'm pregnant."

Reid was completely stunned. Granted when Lyssa had first began acting strange he'd wondered whether she might be pregnant however as time had gone on he'd dismissed this as a possibility. Now he could hardly believe the news that she'd just given him. He was going to be a father.

"The doctor advised me to terminate the pregnancy," Lyssa said in a quiet voice, her blue eyes downcast as she recalled the conversation of a few hours ago. She was still tormented by the casual way the doctor had told her that it would be in her best interest to end the life of the child that was growing insider her. That conversation would haunt her for the remainder of her life, however long that might turn out to be. "He said that if I'm to have even the slightest chance for survival then I have to begin treatment immediately."

"Lyssa. . ."

"I can't do it," Lyssa said, shaking her head. She would not, no she could not, punish her child for something that wasn't it's fault. "None of this is the baby's fault and I refuse to end the life of my child before it even starts just to save myself. I can't do it Spencer. I won't."

Tears formed in Lyssa's brilliant blue eyes and Reid immediately reached over, careful not to disturb his IV lines, and pulled her into a comforting embrace. He stroked her hair gently and whispered in a soothing voice, "It's okay Lyssa. I promise I'm here for you."

Lyssa raised her gaze to meet his and she offered him a rather shaky smile. She hadn't even dared to hope that Spencer would stand by her side after what she had done to him, all of the hurt that she had caused him to endure, and yet here he was comforting her. Fresh tears filled her blue eyes and in that instant the love that she had always felt for him grew.

This touching scene was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. A few seconds later the door slowly swung open and Morgan, Garcia and Gideon stepped into the room. Morgan's eyes widened in surprise as his gaze fell upon Lyssa and anger was evident within their depths. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, recalling how depressed Reid had been after Lyssa had ran out on him, without even a suitable explanation as to why.

"Morgan," Reid said in a quiet voice.

Morgan opened his mouth to say something however he was interrupted by Gideon, who had been eyeing the young couple intently. "Congratulations," the older profiler said in his customary voice.

Lyssa's eyes widened however Reid wasn't even remotely surprised that his boss had deduced the fact that Lyssa was pregnant, after all he was a master profiler. He nodded in the direction of his boss.

"What?" Morgan exclaimed.

"I'm pregnant," Lyssa said in a quiet voice, avoiding making eye contact with Reid's colleagues. She knew that they were angry with her for the way that she'd left Reid, and honestly she couldn't blame them. That didn't make this situation any more comfortable however.

Garcia's gaze swept back and forth between Lyssa and Reid.

"So is that why you left him?" Morgan demanded. "Because you're pregnant and you didn't want to tell him about it?"

"No," Lyssa said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I left because I'm dying and I didn't want Spencer to have to deal with that."

Morgan's eyes widened.

"Oh babies," Garcia exclaimed, hurrying over to Reid's bedside and pulling both Lyssa and Reid into an embrace. She knew that Reid truly loved this young woman and her heart was breaking from the knowledge that even though she had returned he was still going to lose her.

"Listen," Morgan began, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "I'm really. . ."

"It's okay," Lyssa said, her gaze shifting over to the spot where Morgan stood. "You were just protecting your friend and I love you for that fact. You're a great friend."

Morgan looked slightly sheepish at the fact that Lyssa had just offered him a compliment after he had insulted her integrity however he nodded in her direction. She had offered him her forgiveness and for that he was grateful.

"You know what," Garcia said as she released her hold on the young couple. "I think we should leave and give the two of them some privacy."

Morgan and Gideon both nodded and the trio of FBI agents bid good-bye to Lyssa and Reid and left the hospital room.

"I'm sorry about what he said," Reid said in his soft-edged voice.

"Don't apologize for your friends Spencer," Lyssa said, offering her boyfriend a smile. "They were just looking out for you which is a good thing." Lyssa noticed that there was a pained expression on Reid's face and she gazed at him in concern. "Are you feeling okay Spencer? Should I call the nurse?"

Reid shook his head. "I feel okay."

The young man sounded almost guilty about this fact and Lyssa immediately knew what the problem was. "Listen to me Spencer. I don't want to see that expression on your face because of me. That's the reason why I was leaving in the first place. Let's focus on the bright side of this situation. We're going to have a baby."

Reid's eyes widened as he thought about this prospect and he wasn't entirely sure that he was qualified to be a father, not having had a good role model during his own childhood.

Lyssa sensed his apprehension. "Don't worry Spence, you'll do fine."

Reid offered her a smile but he didn't look convinced by her words. The young man wasn't entirely sure that he knew how to be a father however there was one thing that he knew for certain. Unlike his own father he would always be there for his own child. That was the vow he made in his hospital room as he held Lyssa in his arms.

TBC. . .

A/N- I'm soooo sorry that it took me so long to update this and I'm sorry that the chapter is so short but I'm taking things one at a time now and the going's rough. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer and better.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer - I do not own Criminal Minds.

A/N - I AM SOOO SORRY! I had no intentions of leaving this story for so long without an update but things have been bad for me and writing just wasn't something that I could do. I now know more than I ever wanted to about mental health issues and I just hope that you'll forgive me. And I really hope that this chapter is alright since I'm more than a little out of practice.

**HOPE MEMORIAL  
****MONDAY, MARCH 3****RD**

Just under a week had passed since Lyssa had dropped her little bombshell and yet Reid found that he still hadn't acclimated to the prospect of being a father. Also there was the fact that every time he thought about the baby he was forced to think about the fact that he would most likely be raising the child without the woman that he had grown to love dearly.

Because the fact that Lyssa was holding off on treatment until the baby was born was as good as a death sentence.

"I don't know if I can do this," the young man thought to himself, staring at the wall of the hospital room where he had been trapped for what felt like an eternity. "I don't know anything about being a father… and I don't want to lose Lyssa."

A choked sob escaped Reid's throat at this point and he quickly buried his face in his hands. He had been trying so hard not to let his pain show because Lyssa was almost always with him and he didn't want to put her through any unnecessary pain.

That was the last thing that she deserved.

He had already forgiven her for leaving him, understanding completely her reasons for doing so. She had been seeking to spare him from future pain even though she had caused him to feel like his heart had been ripped from his chest.

As these thoughts engulfed him the young man felt a crushing pain in his chest. It felt as though someone was squeezing all of the air from his lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

He was having a panic attack.

And even though he realized this fact Reid found himself unable to pull himself from the grips of the attack. Gasping for a deep breath that he didn't seem able to draw the young man sat up in his bed, eyes wide.

"Calm down Spencer…"

Reid glanced toward the door of his room as this calm and soothing voice called out to him. It was so familiar and it allowed the young genius to pull himself out of the vice like grips that had seemed to be holding his chest. Taking a deep breath he turned sorrowful eyes toward his mentor.

"It isn't going to be easy," Gideon said as he made his way into the room. Sitting down in the chair that was positioned by Reid's bedside he gazed at the young man. The boy who had became almost like a son to him in the years that they had served together in the BAU. "I won't lie and tell you that it is. There's no guarantee that Lyssa will pull through but what I can guarantee is that she needs you to be strong. And she needs to know that whatever happens to her, the child will have a safe and loving home."

"B-but Gideon… I don't know the first thing about being a father."

"Most new parents will tell you the same thing…" Gideon's gaze was calm as he continued to keep eye contact with Reid. "Even those who grow up with parents will tell you that they had absolutely no idea what to do when they became a parent for the first time."

"That's right," a new voice called out, joining the conversation. "And it's not as though you're going to have to go through this alone."

Reid turned and watched as Morgan and Garcia walked into his room and he offered them a somewhat shaky smile.

"We're all going to be here for both you and your girl," Morgan continued, coming to stand at the foot of Reid's hospital bed. "And the baby when it gets here."

"Thanks," Reid murmured, his eyes showing the gratitude that his voice failed to convey. He'd never really had a way with words but of course those that he was closest to understood his meaning none the less.

"Where's Lyssa?" Garcia asked, her voice sympathetic as she gazed around for the girl who had barely left Reid's side since her return.

Reid sighed as he thought about the woman that he loved. "She said that she had a doctor's appointment," he told his colleagues, glad for their company. Being alone gave him to much time to dwell on everything and the young genius would much prefer for his mind to be kept occupied. "But she's supposed to come back right after that."

Morgan nodded before offering the younger male a somewhat roguish grin. "I'd ask if you've been giving the nurses a hard time but somehow I think Lyssa might not approve of that."

Reid couldn't fail to catch the hidden meaning behind Morgan's words and he opened his mouth to retort but never got the chance. From her position beside him Garcia elbowed the man in the ribs, giving him a disapproving look.

"Leave him alone," she ordered, although her tone was light and it was obvious that she wasn't the slightest bit angry.

"Sorry baby girl," Morgan apologized as his hand went to his rib cage where she'd elbowed him.

Reid smiled, grateful for this brief moment of normalcy. He knew without a doubt that, no matter what happened, his life would never be the same. But it was comforting that he had friends who were there for him and would help him through whatever he had to endure.

That would most likely be the only thing preventing him from losing his sanity when and if anything were to happen to Lyssa.

Although Reid absolutely refused to give up hope on her.

A/N - Once again I apologize profusely for the fact that it has taken me so long to both write and post this newest chapter. I really hope that you readers aren't too disappointed with it.


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